"No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married." - Isaiah 62:4
One of our family Summer vacations took us to the northeast. One of the stops along the way was the quaint coastal town of Kennebunkport, Maine. One afternoon I was out walking near the Bush estate. Not far from the estate The Lord stopped me for a Word. As I have learned to do, I said, “Speak Lord. Your servant is listening.” He told me to make a sacrifice on the mountain and that He would give us a house at the beach. I marked the place along that path in Kennebunkport with an altar of stones. I shared the Word with my wife when I got back to our hotel. We asked The Lord to confirm His Word with signs and wonders.
A few weeks later our family took a weekend retreat in the mountains. That Saturday morning, we all woke up early, and I suggested a family hike around the nearby lake. Along the walk I asked the family to imagine that God gave us a new mountain house and for each of us to give a wish list for what they would want at the new house. My wife wanted a lake in front of the house. My son wanted a gymnasium. My daughter wanted stables. I wanted a tennis court.
A few months later, another family invited us to their mountain house to spend the weekend. Driving up their driveway my wife suddenly shouted out, “Stop the car.” I asked my wife what was wrong. She said that she knew we were on a divine appointment.
The first thing our family friends did when we got to their house was to take us on a tour of their development. The 500 acre development had been the original boy scout camp. The first thing we walked by was the lake. The second thing we walked by was the gymnasium that dated to 1917. The third thing we walked past was the stables. The last thing we walked by was the tennis court. When we returned from our property tour we looked across the lake from our friend’s house and sure enough there was a house for sale. Needless to say, we purchased it that day and headed up the mountain to build another altar to The Lord’s goodness and faithfulness.
When we shared our testimony with our home church group one of the women received another Word from The Lord as a prophecy over our new house.
"No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married." - Isaiah 62:4
God was speaking over his redemption of my life and the life of our family. There would be no more forsaking. There would be no more desolation. There would only be goodness, beauty, delight and marriage. The first three I got easily, but marriage I didn’t understand because we were already married. What I didn’t understand was the blessing He would bring to our marriage in our time at that place. The Lord spoke clearly to us saying "I will meet with you there and speak with you there." His meeting and speaking with us there established a deep intimacy between us.
What I also didn’t know at the time was the marriage proposal my best friend’s son would make to his wife on that property.
And FYI.... I am writing this from the house at the beach.
PRAYER
Abba Father. We lift up where we live to You. We say over our habitat as You do, "In The Name of Jesus, this place where we live is not forsaken or desolate, but beautiful in Your sight, a place where Your Word reigns, a place where Your Presence is awesome, a place from which Your Word goes out, and a place from which healthy and Godly relationships are born and maintained."
Comments