Last month, we walked out of our apartment leasing office praising God for a miracle. Yes, we had just received an offer to lease a 2 bedroom apartment, for almost the same rent we are now paying for a 1 bedroom apartment. The new apartment is in the same block we are in now (we hadn't even requested for it), so moving would be easier. Moreover, we have been offered to make the move in December. We don‘t have to wait till January when our current lease expires. That works for us, since we are also expecting our second baby in January. We hadn't toiled much to end up with this deal. We did one thing – we committed to the Lord in prayer, and asked for His guidance and wisdom.
On days like this, it is easy to "see" God’s Presence and guidance, isn’t it? But, you see, with all that life brings across our path, we are not always singing ‘Hallelujah!’
We walked out of the same apartment leasing office a few months back, praising God for a miracle. But that day was quite different.
It was the month of July. My husband Daniel, son John and I had arrived at the John F Kennedy airport in New York, from India, with at least 6 luggage bags. We had a reservation for a hotel in a locality where some of Daniel‘s colleagues resided. Waiting outside the airport, we handed the hotel address to the taxi driver, and he nodded his head in unbelief. “I can‘t go that far,” he said. “It‘s a different part of the state, and it is going to cost you a lot.” Well, we had no other option. So we requested him to go. Then he looked at our luggage bags, and decided they are not going to fit in the taxi. Finally, we ended up in another taxi. That driver was not a technology user, you see. So, he had no GPS or smartphone. We had just landed in the country, and we had no internet on our phones either. We went for a long ride in that taxi, not sure if he was headed in the right direction. The driver did stop in many gas stations (or petrol bunks) to ensure that. After many detours and returns, we ended up at the hotel. “Finally!” we sighed, only to find out that Daniel‘s debit card was not working, because we had been outside the country for a couple of months. How do we pay for the taxi now? We didn’t have enough cash on us. He called the bank to unlock the debit card. As the taxi driver was starting to get impatient about driving all the way back in the pouring rain, the payment just got through. We checked into the hotel room, which was to be our ‘home’ for the next few days. Grateful for shelter, we retired into a good night’s rest.
Now that we have arrived in the country, we had to look for an apartment to move into. After inquiring in a few apartment communities, the only available apartment was in Danbury, Connecticut. The earliest we could move in was after a week. The day came when we could move into the apartment. It was a Friday. We planned to rent a car, so that Daniel could go to work from the hotel (a 40-minute drive away), and then pick us up along with the luggage at noon and move to the new apartment in Danbury. We knew it was going to be a hectic day, but things didn’t go as planned, which made it all the more chaotic. Daniel got to the rental car center, but he was denied a rental car, because he didn’t have a credit card. He managed to get to work, because a helpful colleague offered a ride. In the afternoon, Daniel had a hard time finding a taxi to hire. When he was finally able to get one, it was about time for us to check out of the hotel. Our toddler son and I were waiting in the hotel room, as we kept getting calls from the hotel’s reception desk that it was time for us to leave! Soon, our access cards were deactivated too. Now, our next challenge was to find a taxi that could accommodate our luggage bags and take us to Danbury. And Daniel was still on his way to the hotel.
With all that going on, I began to wonder if we are even heading in the right direction. I mean, was it even God’s plan for us to come to New York? Or, did we miss something? I know God allows difficulties, but I wanted to be sure we are in the center of His will. I began to tell God that if we move into the apartment today, I would take it as a sign that we are walking in His will. Things didn’t get any easier after that. Daniel did arrive after a few minutes, and the hotel charged us for an extra day, because we exceeded the check-out time. But, the good thing is that the same taxi driver agreed to drive us to Danbury. We could fit all but one of our luggage bags (we had to leave one bag at Daniel’s colleague’s home and pick it up later) in the taxi.
Just as we were about to feel relieved, we got a call from the apartment community to let us know that they were closing the office at 5. It was already 4, and the place is about an hour’s drive away. So, if the drive is uneventful, we would reach just on time. Sitting in the taxi with all of our luggage in the trunk, we were wondering if we would even make it today. The apartment office would be closed in the weekend, and we would have to wait for two more days if we miss by a few minutes. That would mean a lot of expenses for the hotel room, food, taxi, etc. and we wanted to move into a ‘home’ we could call ours.
As were nearing Danbury, we realized we were not going to reach by 5. There was heavy traffic on our route. Daniel called the apartment office and requested them to wait for a little longer. After much pleading, the lady finally agreed to wait for 15 more minutes. But that didn’t seem sufficient too. She said she had to leave and told us to wait till Monday to move in. I almost decided that we are probably not heading in the right direction, and we needed some course correction. And, where will we stay for the night?? Meanwhile, Daniel was on the phone. Suddenly, his ‘please’ was replaced by ‘thank you’. What happened? The lady suddenly changed her decision and agreed to leave the keys with another staff who lived in the same apartment community. Praise the Lord!
That was when the Lord’s still small voice reminded that He is with us, no matter what! Oh, yes, He has promised that, and how can I forget it? “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2) It is easy to believe the Lord’s Presence when things are going great, but it doesn’t seem so real when life takes some unexpected twists and turns. But, inconveniences don’t change the fact that He is with us. Even if we had taken a wrong step – I mean, not a deliberate rebellion, but a mistake – His Presence is still something we can count on. I was reminded again of Psalm 23:2 - 4 (“He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”)
On days like this, it is easy to "see" God’s Presence and guidance, isn’t it? But, you see, with all that life brings across our path, we are not always singing ‘Hallelujah!’
We walked out of the same apartment leasing office a few months back, praising God for a miracle. But that day was quite different.
It was the month of July. My husband Daniel, son John and I had arrived at the John F Kennedy airport in New York, from India, with at least 6 luggage bags. We had a reservation for a hotel in a locality where some of Daniel‘s colleagues resided. Waiting outside the airport, we handed the hotel address to the taxi driver, and he nodded his head in unbelief. “I can‘t go that far,” he said. “It‘s a different part of the state, and it is going to cost you a lot.” Well, we had no other option. So we requested him to go. Then he looked at our luggage bags, and decided they are not going to fit in the taxi. Finally, we ended up in another taxi. That driver was not a technology user, you see. So, he had no GPS or smartphone. We had just landed in the country, and we had no internet on our phones either. We went for a long ride in that taxi, not sure if he was headed in the right direction. The driver did stop in many gas stations (or petrol bunks) to ensure that. After many detours and returns, we ended up at the hotel. “Finally!” we sighed, only to find out that Daniel‘s debit card was not working, because we had been outside the country for a couple of months. How do we pay for the taxi now? We didn’t have enough cash on us. He called the bank to unlock the debit card. As the taxi driver was starting to get impatient about driving all the way back in the pouring rain, the payment just got through. We checked into the hotel room, which was to be our ‘home’ for the next few days. Grateful for shelter, we retired into a good night’s rest.
Now that we have arrived in the country, we had to look for an apartment to move into. After inquiring in a few apartment communities, the only available apartment was in Danbury, Connecticut. The earliest we could move in was after a week. The day came when we could move into the apartment. It was a Friday. We planned to rent a car, so that Daniel could go to work from the hotel (a 40-minute drive away), and then pick us up along with the luggage at noon and move to the new apartment in Danbury. We knew it was going to be a hectic day, but things didn’t go as planned, which made it all the more chaotic. Daniel got to the rental car center, but he was denied a rental car, because he didn’t have a credit card. He managed to get to work, because a helpful colleague offered a ride. In the afternoon, Daniel had a hard time finding a taxi to hire. When he was finally able to get one, it was about time for us to check out of the hotel. Our toddler son and I were waiting in the hotel room, as we kept getting calls from the hotel’s reception desk that it was time for us to leave! Soon, our access cards were deactivated too. Now, our next challenge was to find a taxi that could accommodate our luggage bags and take us to Danbury. And Daniel was still on his way to the hotel.
With all that going on, I began to wonder if we are even heading in the right direction. I mean, was it even God’s plan for us to come to New York? Or, did we miss something? I know God allows difficulties, but I wanted to be sure we are in the center of His will. I began to tell God that if we move into the apartment today, I would take it as a sign that we are walking in His will. Things didn’t get any easier after that. Daniel did arrive after a few minutes, and the hotel charged us for an extra day, because we exceeded the check-out time. But, the good thing is that the same taxi driver agreed to drive us to Danbury. We could fit all but one of our luggage bags (we had to leave one bag at Daniel’s colleague’s home and pick it up later) in the taxi.
Just as we were about to feel relieved, we got a call from the apartment community to let us know that they were closing the office at 5. It was already 4, and the place is about an hour’s drive away. So, if the drive is uneventful, we would reach just on time. Sitting in the taxi with all of our luggage in the trunk, we were wondering if we would even make it today. The apartment office would be closed in the weekend, and we would have to wait for two more days if we miss by a few minutes. That would mean a lot of expenses for the hotel room, food, taxi, etc. and we wanted to move into a ‘home’ we could call ours.
As were nearing Danbury, we realized we were not going to reach by 5. There was heavy traffic on our route. Daniel called the apartment office and requested them to wait for a little longer. After much pleading, the lady finally agreed to wait for 15 more minutes. But that didn’t seem sufficient too. She said she had to leave and told us to wait till Monday to move in. I almost decided that we are probably not heading in the right direction, and we needed some course correction. And, where will we stay for the night?? Meanwhile, Daniel was on the phone. Suddenly, his ‘please’ was replaced by ‘thank you’. What happened? The lady suddenly changed her decision and agreed to leave the keys with another staff who lived in the same apartment community. Praise the Lord!
That was when the Lord’s still small voice reminded that He is with us, no matter what! Oh, yes, He has promised that, and how can I forget it? “When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:2) It is easy to believe the Lord’s Presence when things are going great, but it doesn’t seem so real when life takes some unexpected twists and turns. But, inconveniences don’t change the fact that He is with us. Even if we had taken a wrong step – I mean, not a deliberate rebellion, but a mistake – His Presence is still something we can count on. I was reminded again of Psalm 23:2 - 4 (“He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”)
