One of the most exciting truths Jesus told His disciples was, “I go to prepare a place for you…”
This truth really resonates with my wife Maria and I. Why? On October 18, 2011, at approximately 10 p.m., our friends, Pete, Martha and Sophie, were seconds away from leaving our home after an evening of food and fellowship. Sophie opened our front door and then suddenly closed it. Days later, she told us something didn’t feel right. About thirty seconds after Sophie closed the front door, an F2 class tornado struck our home and started blowing out the windows. One-hundred and twenty mile per-hour winds shredded our neighbor’s homes and violently slung the debris onto our home. It seemed as if we were under an artillery attack because the impacts were so horrendous. The five of us ran away from the windows and into the hallway. We formed a circle, joined hands, and started praying. The tornado scythed past our house with one final broadside to the roof.
Afterwards, we cautiously made our way outside and tried to process the chaos. Our roof had a 12’x20’ gaping hole over the garage, and all of our front windows were blown out. The pool was overflowing with wood and debris, and the screened in porch was destroyed. The adjacent covered porch, had a long structural crack in the main support beam—it was severely sagging. Pete and Martha’s minivan, was all but totaled with two flat tires, dents, and blown out windows. If they had been in the minivan—we shuddered at the thought.
When I walked outside and observed the chaos, I was confused and dis-oriented. The Lord impressed in my spirit that He was with me. He told me, “I am with you” three times. I took great comfort in His words. Yes, the finger of God had touched us, but it was while we were under His wings.
After a few months, the scene of destruction and chaos turned into the joy of modernizing and upgrading our home. Yes, there was some headaches and inconveniences during those nine months of rebuilding, but we soon realized that GOD had truly blessed us. We were excited to have an upgraded house which GOD provided through the insurance company. GOD knew we would feel blessed and have joy because of the new home he built us.
I can picture GOD’s face while the tornado was damaging our home. In those moments, we were scared and uncertain of the future. GOD knew the future, He was smiling and saying; “Don’t worry, I’m with you, I am building you a new house.” The Bible tells us Ephesians 2:19-22
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. NIV
No matter what type of home you have today, or even if you feel like you don’t have a home, GOD is smiling and thinking of your future, He’s saying; “Don’t worry, I’m preparing a place for you, and, I’m preparing you for the place”
Reflection questions
What excites you about a new house?
In what area of your life is GOD preparing you for the place?