Even When The Answer is No

I've been praying for the last 48 hours. Praying about a house.

We aren't really house hunting, but something came on the market that caught our eye. We looked, prayed about it, made a decision, and submitted an offer in a very competitive market. And then we prayed.

The funny thing is, I prayed differently than I thought I would. You'd think that I would pray "Lord, PLEASE let us get this house, please let our offer be accepted!"

But the thing is, this was a scary decision. Risky. It could be a fantastic risk that would pay off big time. It could be a horrible risk that we would regret. I kinda felt like it was a 50/50 shot of being absolutely amazing or a total mayday. 

So, I prayed a different prayer. I prayed that God would protect us. I asked that He would not let us make a bad decision that would hurt us. If it would be a bad investment, if it was going to be more than we could handle financially, if the unique layout of this home was not going to work to our family living needs, then I asked that God would firmly shut the proverbial door. And I prayed that if this was the home for us, if this was the place for us to raise our family and live the next years of our lives, that our offer would be accepted. 

I love this house. It has SO. MUCH. STORAGE. And the kitchen. Oh, the kitchen. Kitchen of my dreams. KITCHEN OF MY DREAMS. Big closets, beautiful floors. Pretty backyard. This house checks a lot of boxes. But there are a lot of boxes left unchecked as well. So we were not so sure if this was a fantastic decision or a horrible one.

So, we stepped out in faith. My husband made a decision and we decided to submit the best offer we could do at this point and wait and see. If it's a yes, then the Lord is allowing us to proceed. If it's a no, then we know that this is not the house for us.

When Grant walked into the house today and said "it's a no", I genuinely didn't feel sad or disappointed. I felt relieved. Relieved that God protected us from something that was going to be a mistake. I think that this was the first time in years that I prayed "Thy will be done" and genuinely meant it. And answer of "no" is still an answered prayer. 

So, tonight, we are back to our normal lives. We are not thinking about moving in 30 days and putting our house on the market and packing up our lives. We are just relaxing on the couch, making each other laugh and eating Girl Scout Cookies. 

Tonight, I am thankful for answered prayers. I am thankful that God said "no". I am thankful that my husband lead us boldly and made wise choices on our behalf. I am thankful that we learned a lot about what we want in a home and where we want to be and what we are able to spend. I am thankful for this house we have lived in for the last 4 years and how it has been such a happy, wonderful home. We are gonna sit tight for awhile. And trust. And wait. 

Praise God for His protection!