God Does “Exceeding Abundantly Above”
Who would have guessed that God had such a surprise for us? Not I. Indeed, God is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine. He just proved it again.
God’s “exceeding abundantly aboves” leave me in awe. It happened again yesterday.
Some of you have followed my saga about moving to the residence above our ministry’s new office. Knowing we needed a renter for our townhouse before we could afford to rent the other place, we signed a contract with a property manager in mid-March.
“You have a nice place,” he said. “I’ll easily find a renter for you by May 1.”
That’s perfect, we thought. In our minds, the first weekend of May was ideal. After that, our travel schedule would make it difficult to pack up, paint, and resettle between weekends away for speaking events. Besides, moving at the start of the month would enable us to fulfill our commitments and even be ready for several out-of-town guests who plan to visit between now and the end of June.
May 1 came and went
Alas, May 1 came and went with no renters in sight so we stayed put amidst an ever-growing pile of packing boxes. I had to practice the very things I preach about surrendering our desires to the Lord, trusting Him with every detail of our lives, being content even when circumstances don’t turn out the way we hope, and more.
I took a lot of walks, praying and practicing praise with every step. And as I did, I began seeing our circumstances through heaven’s eyes. I even grew appreciative of the extra days the “delay” gave me to prepare for upcoming conferences and to spend time with family.
Answer to my prayers
On Wednesday the property manager phoned to say a family of four has been approved to rent our home, and they’ll move in on June 1. That was a wonderful answer to the prayers of many. As if that weren’t enough, today brought an “exceeding abundantly above”—a couple who recently sold their house for an unexpected profit called to say they want to bless us by hiring a professional mover on our behalf and paying the expenses.
The call nearly left me speechless. This act of kindness lifts a huge load from our shoulders, but more than that, it reminds me that God’s timing is brilliant and He is absolutely trustworthy. If we’d moved at the beginning of the month as we thought best, the heavy work would have been our responsibility because our friends’ house hadn’t yet sold. The delay allowed for their house to sell which resulted in their blessing us by hiring a professional mover.
Who would ever have guessed that God had such a surprise for us? Not I.
Indeed, God is able to do more than we could ever ask or imagine. He just proved it again.
How about you?
What “exceeding abundantly aboves” have you witnessed?
Know you are loved,
Grace
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There you’ll find exclusive content alongside hope, courage, and transformation through God’s word. All with a dash of adventure!
Thank you Grace! Wow! Thank you for this!
God’s design for each of our lives is unique & beautiful.
It’s interesting how we continue to expect life to look ‘this way’ or ‘that way’ as we make our plans and even as we lay them before God. I love that He wants to take us deeper in our experience to live completely for Him and I love how He is generous in giving us more than we ask for.
I don’t know if I’ve ever been this quiet before God in all the busyness of life. Oh, I’m still busy but there’s a difference. God has placed a renewed purpose boldly in front of me that is becoming more clear each day. It’s a refining time & it’s a deep time with God, open handed time with God in praise and in prayer with all that I hold precious.
One of my most favorite verses has never changed… it’s been my heart that’s been changed… OUR GOD ROCKS!!!
I absolutely LOVE this journey He has given me!
“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4
Viv, thanks for your comment! I love to hear about how God is working in other peoples’ lives. The word “deeper” seems to be universal this year; I’ve heard it so many times recently. It’s my theme word for this year, and it’s in my tagline for “RADIANT: Creating a Deeper Life”(a new one-day women’s conference I’m launching in October with two other lovely Christian women). I’ve heard a great quote: “This world doesn’t need more busy people; it needs deeper people.” That “deeper” comes when we delight ourselves in the Lord. And then He delights to give us the desires of our heart. Stay in touch!
Thank-you. I’m standing on that scripture in Ephesians in order to get our crowded and cluttered basement cleared out so we can use the space.
Every attempt so far has lasted an hour or two, and then……………..it just seemed like such a complicated job! I know it will get done………I’m just honestly wondering when!!!!!! You have given me hope!
Try setting a kitchen timer for 45 minutes or so. Then take a short break, and do it again. Put some worship music on. I have to paint and clean the place into which we’re moving, and oh my–it’s a lot of work. But the music helps make it more enjoyable 🙂 You can do it, girl.