In 2002 when we felt the Lord call us to move to the Orlando area to be closer to all of our children and grandchildren, we first had to sell our home in Pittsburgh to afford our new Florida home.
No offers came for several months, until a husband and wife came one evening, looked quickly at the home, spoke to me briefly, and left. I said to Ida that I strongly felt this was the couple who would be the buyers.
They had three children in middle and high schools. Two of the best schools in the state were within walking distance of our house. Also, the wife said she and her husband had been looking for a home in our area for months but needed a fourth bedroom for her office. Not until they actually saw the house did they realize the guest room I had built in the finished basement was exactly what they had been seeking.
We agreed on a price, but the inspection report would have us updating our 1930 construction brick and steel beam house to meet new building codes, not required of older homes. The husband was an electrician and a handyman. When I said we could not afford to do all those upgrades, he said he could do all that was needed himself.
The sale was finalized, to the amazement of the real estate agent.
The house had been a place of blessing for our family for 20 years, and a place of ministry to many friends and neighbors. An idea came a few days later. I asked whether the buyers would like to come over some evening so we could pray with them and pass the house blessing over to them? They were thrilled and asked whether they could bring their parents and a few other relatives with them. Sure!
So, on the designated date, we were amazed that parents, sisters, brothers, aunts, and uncles, about 16 in all showed up for the transfer of the house blessing. We stood in a big circle in the living room, joined hands, and I prayed for them, that the Lord would bless them as He had us.
We were surprised when their three children presented us gifts from their family: a Christmas tree ornament of the city of Pittsburgh, a plaque to put in our new house saying, “Bloom where God has planted you,” and a framed picture of their family with a letter of appreciation.
Wow, we had never done that before, nor had they! But it had God’s fingerprints all over it. We were able to leave our lovely home with confidence that we were moving when and where He was calling us. And as they say, "The rest is history," and a wonderful one to be sure surrounded by our Florida family!
Have you ever seen God's fingerprints on a move? Let me know in the comments below.
Larry Selig
To hear more about how your home is just what God is looking for, check out Christopher's message on Home here.
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