Building With Just A Handful

It seems surreal to see this before my very eyes. I have been looking at this only on the screen of my laptop, but up to the first day that we dug into the ground ourselves, persistent to prepare the ground to receive the rain we were asking for, unable to find professional help for a week or so; suddenly out of nowhere, a call came. He was a professional mason. Needless to say, our immediate need for somebody who can work on our base properly was answered. That same night he came over to check on the plans I drew, and to discuss settlement. Now the funds are again cut in half. It will go to the workers instead. Yet I have peace in it, and after he left I thanked the Lord. I was determined beforehand not to skimp on the foundation. Father is mindful even of that.

I volunteered to drive the workers to and from where we currently lived to where the build would be (16 km) so they won't have to spend money on commuting. We are shouldering that expense on top of their fees. (May the Lord open a door for the gospel.) Work on the posts was estimated to take 12 days. Labor is not cheap. But in the Lord's goodness, He sent us a very humble man who knew how to do it properly. I then asked the Lord that the men would have a mind to work (Nehemiah 4:6), and sure enough, there were two days that rained hard but they neither stopped nor rested. They were happily working despite the downpour, dealing with the thick mud that made the labor even more difficult. This was just one of the three miracles that happened within one week.

The last of our funds will go to the floor framing and no further. We are short by 85% at best, but last Sunday I was honored to bless the Lord before the congregation because we are building a house with no money on hand. It is now the 6th day of the work and it seems at the pace the laborers are going the posts will be finished 3 days ahead of schedule.

This mid-noon as I was reading in the car during a break, I came across this in my daily devotions:

Peace I leave with you, - the Lord did not leave me to scavenge for my own keep. He left me the most indispensable thing there is; that one thing all men pursue but few seem to find: peace.

My peace I give unto you: - not a cheap positive vibe or encouraging word, but peace. Infinitely more, it is HIS peace. The peace that carried my Lord through the torture of the cross.

Not as the world gives do I give unto you. - not the kind of vacillating peace that is dependent on the affairs of this world, but that peace which is immovable, and surpasses all understanding. The peace that is pure, without a hint of regret, the kind that only God can give.

Let not your heart be troubled, - a cautionary admonition that is as vital as any other command of the Lord. He knows my afflictions, and how I stand under such afflictions. This is not to mean, 'do not be sad' but 'do not be moved' rather. Your soul is the most precious thing you possess, take hold of it. He is saying to me, 'Trust me.'

Neither let it be afraid. - I am not to be like those who in their unbelief cause themselves to lose hope. I have Christ. The One who died for me is my hope. What reason have I to despair and fear?

In the absence of peace from the Prince, we are left with anxiety and depression. God's remedy for such is Belief. (John 14:1) 'You believe in God, believe also in me.' Fear is a part of our humanity, yet it only becomes abnormal when we succumb to its lies. When faith leaves, fear fills up the void left. God is wise, holy and powerful. This we forget when we believe the devil's lies instead. The Almighty Father has a covenant with me in Christ. Is this not power? Belief in Christ is an ocean of comfort to the soul.

'I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.' 

John 15:11

Truly, a word at the right time is nourishing to the soul. It is clear to me that regardless of my needs being met or not, whether I live or die, His peace and His joy is mine. Christ is mine. I am His. Nothing else matters. Not even my earthly life.

Alleluiah!