Taking Possession

We took possession of our new house a few weeks ago. It's been an exciting time as we watched God make a way for us. I've been thinking about the number of times 'asking' was involved in the process. We asked God to give us a house that would meet our needs and that we could afford. We asked a realtor to help us. We asked the owner to accept our offer. We asked a lender to provide the funding. We asked a lawyer to handle the transaction. We asked friends for their help as we chose colors, laid flooring, built cabinets, packed and then loaded and unloaded the truck. Thankfully, everyone along the way said yes and we spent our first night in our new house last night. (I'll post some pictures after the counter tops arrive and the boxes are emptied.)

I've started reading through the Psalms this past week. I found these words in Ps. 2. 'Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.' These are not new words for me, but this time they took on a fresh significance especially as I reflected on our house transaction. There were no guarantees that anyone would say 'YES' to us. At any point along the way, someone could have said 'no' to our request and we would have had to find a new way or another way to make that happen.

What I find most amazing in Ps. 2 is that God invites us to ask. 'Ask of Me' and then He gives us a guaranteed response. (... and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession.) Any of God's promises are amazing but the scope of this promise is astounding to me. The idea of God granting nations to His people who have the faith to ask and the courage to follow through on taking possession of that nation by His Spirit rather than by petition and protest is simply amazing to me.

Sometimes we dream about 'what if' scenarios. 'What if God were to give us the nation, our province, our city, our school or our town?' The possibilities are amazing. Sadly we too often stop there, rather than pressing through to possess the promise that God has made to us. Sometimes the message of the naysayers who tell us that it can't be done overtakes God's promise that says He will do it. James tells us that 'faith without works is dead'. Possessing the nation takes more than praying and making prophetic declarations. It requires going and serving within the spheres of influence that shape our province and communities. As we move forward with humility and grace, our nation will be changed and we will see the fulfillment of the promise.