I want to begin by reading a short story from the book of Matthew that might help explain why I felt led to organize this meeting.
As Jesus went on from there two blind men followed Him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, son of David!” When He had gone indoors! The blind men came to Him and He asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” “Yes, Lord”, they replied. Then He touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith will it be done to you,” and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this!” But they went out and spread the news about Him all over that region.
Mathew 9:27-31
Now if Jesus warned them sternly not to tell anyone, then why did they go out and tell everyone what He had done?
Because they could not help themselves and neither can I! I was planning on taking one verse and telling how it has affected my life in a tangible physical way. But, I have lots of these experiences so I stifled myself as best I could and kept it down to three. They all pertain to this house so they kind of go hand-in-hand. Shortly after we bought this property I was sitting outside the kitchen door sucking on a beer wondering how in the world I was going to make the payments. I was forty something and had never bought property because I had terrible fear of making payments for thirty years and losing it when it came down to the last six months because of losing a job, or health issues that would keep me from working or whatever. I was in real agony worrying about being a slave to these payments for years and years to come and then maybe losing it. While I was sitting there a friend of mine showed up and he had two framed pictures. He had helped the previous owners of the property remove some of her mother’s belongings a few weeks earlier. She took some of the stuff back to Oklahoma with her, gave some away and put some in the trash. He had a couple of antique prints or posters that either they gave him or he fished out of the trash. He built frames for them and enclosed them behind glass. He told me I could pick one and whatever I didn’t choose he was going to take the other one to his mother. The first one was a picture of Peter with his head above water after his water-walking experience. Jesus still standing on the waves and the rest of his boat mates looking on. A very relevant picture of my life at the time, but I could not see it at the time. The next picture was a large antique-looking letters that said, “The Lord will provide.” This resembled the feeling that Dorothy (of the wizard of Oz) must have had when she opened that door early in the movie and her black and white world was suddenly in Technicolor. Although my faith at that time was about as weak as a newborn kitten, I knew that, that had to be a message from my Maker. I had no doubt about that. It turned my agony to joy. Not temporary beer buzz joy, but even though hard times lay ahead as I expected I knew that from that point on I would meet my goal. It was many years later when I began reading the Bible daily that I discovered to my great surprise that this was actually taken directly from the Bible. I gave that picture to a good friend’s mother later on when she was diagnosed with a life threatening disease. It had served its purpose with me because it is hanging inside my head as a permanent fixture (God willing). See for yourself Genesis 22:14.
My next experience happened while working on this house. The roof of this house starts as a piece of fabric attached to the brick walls blown up like a balloon with large fans. These fans make an incredible amount of pressure. So much it just about took a man and boy to open the door. But this excess pressure was necessary to support the concrete when it is sprayed on the ceiling. Shortly after getting the pressure up I noticed a long crack in the area where the roof attacked to the brick wall. This was a disaster ready to happen. I don’t need to explain to anybody what happens when a balloon gets a tear in it. If this section had come completely loose I don’t know how I would have fixed it. I had a lot of time and money invested in this project and it looked like it might all go down the tube. Other than an occasional thank you I had pretty much ignored God for the previous almost thirty years. Sometimes I think this is the original sin. All the things we think of as sin — hatred, lust, greed, etc. — are actually just fruits of the “original sin,” ignoring God.
Some became fools through their rebellious ways,
and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.
Psalm 107:17
Boy that fit me to a tee, these buildings are usually built out of concrete and the roof is attached to that which will not break loose like the joints in the brick. The only thing I could possible do was pray. The only other thing I could do was to take down several weeks’ work and put it back reinforced better. But this was not feasible because I had other contractors scheduled to start work and customers waiting for me. Prayer didn’t seem like much of an option because I figured God would let the air out of my balloon to pay me back for all those years of ignoring Him. But like I said it was my only option.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them from their distress.
Psalm 107:19
After the last of the concrete was sprayed I was totally bewildered as to why God would help me out after all those years of ignoring Him. I finally came to the conclusion that it must be Grace, with a capital “G”. Sometimes I think that religion is man seeking God, but Grace is God seeking man. I told this story many times but I’m like those two blind men, I can’t shut up until I spread the news over the whole region.
The last thing I’ll tell you about (for now) is a verse I read in Proverbs. I built this house based on the belief that we are getting very close to the earthly, physical return of Jesus. He himself stated that at the time of His coming this world will be in for a very rough ride. I read in Proverbs,
He who fears the Lord has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.
Proverbs 14:26
I was determined to hire somebody that could cross-stitch to sew this verse on a plaque, frame it and hang on the wall. This had been the bottom line of my goal for many years and this fit the overall picture like a glove. After we moved in I still had a lot going on to finish things up and that project got put on the backburner. Shortly after my father passed away my mother gave me some papers, and books that belonged to him that she thought I might want. In that collection was that very verse, printed in fancy type with a decorative border, suitable for framing. I do not believe for a minute this was a coincidence. This was a special gift from my earthly father and my Heavenly father, and I most reverently thank them both.
One last thing and I’ll shut up. Do not forget, for I have learned this directly from the greatest of teachers.
Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labor in vain.
Psalm 127:1