Page 149 - Evidence of Things Unseen

fill out any paperwork, and he said no, that he felt good about us renting from them. We
gave them a check for the rent and deposits and began moving in the very next day.
The rent was close to the amount I had prayed for, and the home was only four years
old, in great shape, and in a beautiful country setting. It had four bedrooms, which we
desired, and was just outside the city limits of Byron. It would take less than five minutes
to be in town. Amazingly to me, although the home is on a farm it is served by two types of
high speed Internet access. DSL and Cable Internet are both available. The owners also
allowed pets, though we were required to pay a deposit. There were absolutely no
impediments to our moving to this new location. It was as if the Lord had swung the door
wide open and said, “Here is my provision for you. Enter in!”
Even with so many affirmations of the Lord’s hand in this provision, I was troubled
by stepping out and renting this place, for the memories of our experiences in Montezuma
were still fresh in my mind. Twice God provided places for us there, only for us to then see
all financial provision dry up, and I dealt with the agony of not having the money to pay our
rent. My faith was being tested severely, as the Father was seeking to deliver me from the
fears that tormented me. I had been struggling to understand why God led us to endure the
things we experienced in Montezuma, for I had such high expectations and a very profound
disappointment. Although I knew God was teaching me lessons there (It was there the
Spirit led me to write the book The Divine Quest), there was much I didn't understand and
this lack of understanding was producing an unrest and lack of peace in my soul.
Just a few days after we had moved into this home, my wife and children were going
off, and my daughter was to spend the night away. I was sitting in a chair by the front door
anticipating a quiet evening by myself, and I was watching my daughter come in and out as
she was constantly remembering one more thing she wanted to take with her. On her last
trip she grabbed two things and headed for the door, but when she got there she changed
her mind about a book she was going to take and she turned around and placed it in my
hands, told me good-bye, and was out the door and gone.
I looked at the book in my hands, and it was Hinds’ Feet On High Places by Hannah
Hurnard. I had never read this book before, but I had the feeling that I had been set-up by
the Spirit. My family had just left. I was all alone. And God had just placed a book in my
hands which I felt a strong witness that I was to read. I began reading the book and as I did
the Spirit witnessed powerfully to me and the tears began to flow. I read of the main
character, Much-Afraid, and how the Shepherd led her out from her relatives the Fearings.
I read how the Shepherd led her to one journey after another where her fears assailed her
and had to be overcome, faith had to be exercised, and her will had to be laid upon the altar.
As I read I was reviewing my own journey, and I began to understand why my Shepherd had
been leading me down the paths He had asked me to take. It has been His desire to free me
from all fears and to learn an unshakeable confidence in Him.
I then understood also what he was doing in our current situation, for once more He
had led me to a place where I had only enough money to pay for the first month's rent and
deposits, and where the landlord required that the next month's rent be paid on the first of
the month, only two weeks later. (The first month's rent is for a full month, but the second
is pro-rated. I know some will be curious.) God was asking me, "Will you trust Me once
more? Will you dwell in perfect peace this time without listening to the voices of anxiety,
fear, or evil forebodings?"
In this book the main character Much-Afraid is led down many perilous paths, and
through roads of sorrow and pain. She is tormented by members of the Fearing family who