Listen and Wait

Psalm 32:8 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."
Psalm 37:4 "Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart."
Psalm 37:7 "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…"

What do you do when you're faced with a major decision?  From the above verses, I gather that one should listen for instructions and wait patiently for the right answer and the right time.  However, I'm afraid my "waiting patiently" skills have often been less than par.
 

Buying my house is a prime example of how God achieves wonderful results, even when guiding an impatient person with pre-conceived ideas.  After living in an apartment for twenty years, I decided I was ready for the responsibilities of a house.  Also, I hated scraping ice from the car windshield from October to April, so I passionately yearned for an attached garage.  As I attended numerous open houses, my wish list and requirements grew for a ranch-type house, a level, easily mowed yard, space for a garden, easy maintenance of the house exterior, a fireplace, and a place on the  west side of town..  For months I searched diligently on these premises and did find some houses that came close-but not exactly right.  Impatience set in.  I concluded that I'd be an apartment dweller for the rest of my life. 
 

House hunting was inactive for several more months until I happened to talk with an agent who said, "I have the house for you-come to the open house Sunday afternoon."  I was still dubious of finding "my house", but I did drive by the area on Saturday.  As I slowed down to see the house more clearly, I had a funny feeling.  Something inside of me said, "This is your house."  Needless to say I went trembling to the open house on Sunday. 
 

The first clue that substantiated my positive feelings was the doorbell. It played a pleasing, eight-note musical phrase-appropriate for me, a musician.  The rooms, front and back yards, aluminum siding, and the attached garage kept the "green" signal on.  Even though the house was on the east side, and there was no fireplace, I knew that mattered no longer.  The change of location was really more sensible, because my work and activities were all on the east side of town.  That evening I phoned my Dad in southern Indiana and said, "I think I'm going to buy a house!  Will you teach me how to mow grass?"
 

My friends, Liz and J.V., had a similar house hunting experience.  After nearly a year of searching for a needed, spacious, one-story house, they encountered many signal lights and waited patiently.  At God's time they bought "the right house" and sold their two-story house within twenty-four hours.

Our decisions were sound.  You can be certain that in making future decisions, Liz, J.V., and I will again listen for the heavenly instructions, trust, wait patiently, and give God the credit while we gratefully watch His plans unfold.

Joan Martin