Through our 49+ years of marriage, we have moved several times. We have lived in the “deep south,” the “south,” as Virginians call it, the north, where snow was commonplace, the middle south in Knoxville, and the “almost southwest,” Arkansas. Everywhere we moved things were different. Everyone has their own dialect. They have their own customs and especially different foods, local to them. The first question from most we encountered was “Where are you from?” This always incited a barrage of questions. One of the first was what brought you here? Then there were more questions about my husbands’ work. After the first move or two, I got wise and used this as an opportunity to witness. I would answer, God brought us here, most immediately ask, “Is your husband a preacher?” The answer would be, “No,” God brought us here, but he used my husbands’ employer to pay the bill. This would lead to another conversation where I could explain what I meant.
In the Bible, we are told of many cities where God moved His people. Each time there was a specific purpose. In the Old Testament, it was usually for physical preservation, and for the preservation of them spiritually. When God moved Jacob and his family to Egypt he was allowing them to survive and thrive. There was a famine in all the land and Egypt had plenty. For the full, beautiful story read Genesis 30 through 49. It may take a while, but it is a must-read.
Gen 47:11 “And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families”
Most of the moves you see in the New Testament were to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. God had a plan, and nothing could stop it. Another favorite of mine is in Acts chapter 8, where Philip gets the message from God that there is a man in Gaza he needs to go see.
Act 8:26 “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.”
Philip goes where God led him. Now comes my favorite part, when he wins this man to faith in Christ God says it’s time for another trip. He sends him from Samaria to Gaza. When his mission is complete he picks him up and transports him to Azotus. Another great read where God’s provision and power are displayed. I call this the first “Superman” story.
Act 8:39 – 40 “And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.”
God has a plan and a purpose in every move of our lives. I can honestly say I have loved every move. Each journey has taught me something new about God. I get excited because I know God is working in and through me. It is always hard to leave friends behind, but I am also blessed to get to know new ones God brings into my life. To the best of my knowledge, I have one more city that I will move to. That will be my final move, but it will be the best of all! That city is Heaven. That will be the place God has been preparing me to go, and the place that has been prepared for me. It is a city of utter perfection. If you are not sure that will be your final city, if there is any doubt, make sure today. There is a page for salvation at the top of my blog page. Read and see if it’s your final city!
Revelation 21:22-27 “And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations into it. And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination nor maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
