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Dear Friend, How are you? Hope you’re well. I wrote about my learning last year that farming and farming in a big scale is not the Father’s will for me, but enjoying fellowship with Him in my future garden. Now, I even think that I would be satisfied with having small pots and/or a raised garden bed, if I would live in a condo with a large lanai. Now, I wouldn’t vie for a house with acreage of land any longer, but with a small garden, i.e. low maintenance yard. I even came to think that living in a condo might be a better option, if HOA fee is reasonable. Easy carefree living. Lol. One of the reasons in the change of my thought is that I learned to be satisfied with enjoying His creatures in the gardens of the museums and in the small parks near my place over the past few months. I don’t own nor maintain any of them, but can still enjoy the free gifts from the Father of all creation. Then, I started to ask question in my mind. I certainly remember the day when the Father answered my prayer, back in my Singapore time. I was in the middle of corporate fasting with my church. I decided to fast for lunch, so I usually went out during the lunch hour, bringing my book. Then, the Father gave me a thought on YWAM xxxx during my fasting and I searched its website immediately. To my amazement, I found out they have a farm and they would have a 10 day of class in the coming December, which I ended up taking. Laying fleece like Gideon, I asked Him to show me words like farm, farmers, etc. during my Bible reading later on that day. If He did, I would know for sure that He wants me to be a farmer. Amazingly enough, He showed me those words later on that day. Looking back on my youth, I had no experience of living in a farm. But, my mom grew some vegetables in the garden of our single family home. The joy of harvesting, the smell of earth when I helped water our garden. That memory gave me a desire to farm. But last year, during prayer, I also got to learn He wants me to spend time with Him in my future garden, not to become a farmer. I didn’t want to farm for fear of things to come such as depression, food inflation, or scarcity of foods. Yet, I used to think having my own garden would be helpful for food supply in the coming difficult times. Then, earlier this year, I came to listen to David Wilkerson’t sermon titled “Preparing for Hard Times” and he said something like (I paraphraze) “Some people do gardening for foods out of fear, but keeping them costs more than buying in grocery.” Lol. I agree from my experience of raising small pots indoors a couple of years back. David Wilkerson’s point was the importance of being in the secret place with Him, not physical and material preparation that some Christians are obsessed with. So, I kept thinking to myself, “Why in the world did the Father give me the heart to farm or do gardening in my time in Singapore, as I wouldn’t be a farmer at the end of the day?” And I think I learned why. Relationships. If I had not dreamed of being a farmer, I would not have taken the class in YWAM xxxx that the Father let me know. When I stayed there for less than 2 weeks only, I felt somehow that I would come here again and live in that land. Now, I think He led me to that land, not because He planned to make me a farmer there, but because He prepared for people that I should meet and have a community with in the land of living. Perhaps some of them might be lifetime friends and/or house church members. To the Father, relationship is more important than work. I think it is actually everything. As it’s everything between Him and us, His children, vertically, horizontal relationship is also important (who we meet and make friends with). Since 2018, I asked the Father to give me confirmation as to where He is leading me in the future. In His sense of humor and in His kindness, He repeatedly confirmed where I would go. In my 20’s ~ 40’s, He led me to a couple of employers and countries for work. I know He planned my journey, putting in each place the people that I should meet, through my work. Working for a corporate didn’t really fit into me, but I had to work for money. And I knew I could not have earned enough, if I had been a writer. :) But, God didn’t lead me to those employers not merely for me to make money and be independent, but He connected me to people. I don’t keep in touch with all of them, of course, but there are some precious people I continue friendship and fellowship with, regardless of distance. There are some who meet for a season only, but others for longer seasons or for the rest of our lives on earth. Our Father and our Lord thought us up. God designed for the paths we should go through, thinking of relationships. I don’t think I understand His will and plan perfectly now, and I’m still in the middle of putting the puzzle together. I think, in the land where I would go and live, God already planned my friends, my neighbors, and/or house church members. It’s not about something I should do for God, like David story I shared last week. I can do nothing. God gives. God prepared and planned relationships. With Him and with His people. When writing the draft of this blog, I came to recall a story that John Fenn wrote in “Pursuing the Seasons of God.” It is about God’s provision, and it shows how He prepared people (relationship) in addition to His Angels, and tells how important it is to listen to His voice and obey Him: Don’t Miss His Provision! The Lord told me that many times provision is made for his people in accordance with their prayers and angels are sent to make it happen, but when time comes for them to step into what the Lord has done in the spirit, people go their own way instead and get into trouble. He told me that many have even died because the angels prepared in one area but the people went in another direction, and the angels have to stick to their assignment and can’t rescue people in these cases. He showed me an example of what he was talking about. Suddenly we were standing in the air looking down into a church; I saw below us a young, single woman with two children sitting on the back pew. She was listening to the sermon, but her mind wasn’t on the sermon and I heard her thinking to the Lord about some answers she needed. One child appeared to be about three or so and the other was a baby. The three year old was standing up looking over the back of the pew and the baby was in her lap. I heard her prayers and thoughts as she ignored the sermon and complained to the Lord about her situation. The Lord explained that her husband had left her and she was living with her parents, which is why she was in that church. He said she hadn’t gotten a job yet and her car was broken down (he said it was the alternator). In her mind she was saying things like: “Lord, you said you’d be the Father to the fatherless, but look at my kids, where have you been faithful to them? Why have you abandoned me? Where is your provision? How am I going to get a job without a car and how can I get the car fixed without a job? This isn’t mom and dad’s problem; I can’t keep sponging off them. Show me how to get my life and finances back in order...” And many other things like that. My heart went out to this young mother who was thinking the Lord had abandoned her and she couldn’t understand why he was allowing this difficulty. Then I turned to my left to ask the Lord what could be done, but what I saw stopped the words in my throat: tears were streaming down his face as he heard what she was saying. He said, “She is in this church because of loyalty to her parents, but she knows she is supposed to be going to another church.” Just then I saw a church to our left that was across town and a pastor delivering a message to his congregation that I heard this woman asking the Lord about. Jesus said he was teaching a series on finances and establishing God’s order in life. She should have been in that other church getting her answers! He said that beyond her, her children had a call on their lives that was being delayed and stifled because of her emotional unwillingness to do what was right. He said, “She is seeking answers, and I have provided the answers but she is looking in the wrong place. He turned to the church across town and pointed out a man in a t-shirt sitting towards the front left. He said, “Do you see this man? He is a mechanic. I have commanded him to fix her car.” He pointed out one older woman sitting with two friends: “do you see this lady? She baby sits children in her home and I have commanded that she watch her children.” Then he pointed out another man. “Do you see this man? He own a business in the town that has an opening for a receptionist, and I have commanded he give her that job.” I was reminded of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath in 1 Kings 17: 8–16. In Verse 9 the Lord told Elijah that he had commanded a widow to sustain him, but when he got there the lady was preparing what she thought was her last meal, completely unaware a miraculous provision had been commanded from heaven. She was ready to die not knowing the blessing had been commanded. This was exactly the case with this young mother I was observing. Suddenly I saw off to our left, at about a forty-five degree angle, what appeared to be something of an assembly line. It was like a pathway into the future and there were angels at either side of this path. There wasn’t a conveyor belt or anything like that, but I saw angels darting in and out of the path, while some stood on the side arranging things. Jesus said: “This is my will for her for the next two years. The angels have prepared a job for her as I’ve said, as well as the job and an apartment within two months, and I’m also sending her to school to complete her education. All this has been prepared for her to walk in.” Then off to our right I saw another path going two years into the future. Unlike the other path, which was lit by God’s glory, this was dimly lit and had only one or two angels on the side looking rather inactive. Before I could ask what I was seeing he said: “This is the path she is heading down, which is outside my will. As soon as the command goes forth for the Father’s will the angels are assigned to make ready everything needed. People will often start out along the right path, but when decisions that require growth or character are required they sometimes back off our perfect will and go their own way. This is what you are seeing. I am faithful and will do what I can, but the angels respond to the command in the perfect will of the Father and cannot change assignments at their will to excuse people’s disobedience. We will not be blamed on the final day of judgment: when all is revealed everyone will see we have faithfully kept their words of commitment to us.” God put all the people who were supposed to meet and help the lady in that other church. His provision comes through relationships. And we are supposed to obey Him, walking in love, and helping one another in His body, the church. I couldn’t resonate with the Lord’s teaching enough, thinking of my decision a dozen of years back. In the company, I was offered for a position to be based in Shanghai. I simply knew God led me to the job and the city. So, I chose to leave Seoul, putting mom in the Father’s hand. At that time, my general manager in Korea organization said that I was very brave. He said that if he were in my shoes, he would not move to Shanghai. He was worried about language barrier, security and so forth. But, I never ever regret my decision even to this day, but know I was in His perfect will. He put all the people I had to meet down the road. And I lived safe and sound in that foreign land. Likewise, I believe I would live safe and sound in the future in the land of living He planned for me, no matter what zone it is. Friend, In the way our Father and Lord designed for us, we would be provided for everything, and we would also become helpers and supporters for others, no matter whether it’s finance, time or any other resource. He wants us to be generous in resource, as He is to us. And He wants His children to meet one another in the picture He painted before the creation. But at the end of the day, we have free wills and He won’t push us, as He is Gentleman. Friend, my heart’s desire is that you and I may listen to Him, sensitive to His leading, and obey Him. We’re on a journey to the land of our living, playing hide and seek with the Father and our Lord. When we are in His perfect will, the journey will be joyful, and we will be peaceful and prosperous in the land where He may send us. He is with us. Have a bliss! Julie Now the Lord had said to Abram: Comments are closed.
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