God Is Making a Way

God is Making a Way Where There Is No Way!
A number of years ago, I was part of a team that was helping to organize leadership meetings all across the country.  The first meeting happened in Alberta, my home province, and one outcome of this meeting, was that the leaders in my city, Edmonton, decided they wanted to begin to meet together to seek the Lord.  This was something I had been longing to see for a while and I really felt from the Lord that I was supposed to be in this meeting.  My problem was the meeting had been set for a Monday night right in the middle of this national tour.  The weekend before, I was to be in Montreal and the Tuesday after, I was supposed to be in Halifax. So the only way I could make the meeting was to fly back from Montreal Sunday night and return to Halifax on the Monday night red-eye flight.

My other problem was finances. Because this meeting was something I felt to do personally and the ministry had already paid for a flight from Montreal to Halifax, I knew that if I was going to do this, I had to pay from my own pocket.  A quick check confirmed what I feared: with such little notice the two tickets would combine to be about $1000.  At that time in my life, I was in a very tight financial position and I just couldn’t afford it. Discouraged,  I tried tell myself it was ok to miss the meeting but deep inside I wasn’t at peace because I really felt I was to be in that meeting in Edmonton.

A few days later, a friend of mine who needed help booking flights called me very early and when I woke up I had such a bad migraine I couldn’t move without getting nauseous.  As I lay in bed with my laptop helping her with her flights, suddenly I heard the Lord say clearly, “Look for those flights you were trying to book NOW!”

To be honest, I was so tired and felt so lousy, I wasn’t exactly brimming with faith. But as the flights were displayed from Montreal to Edmonton on the Sunday, to my shock I saw the exact flight I needed was priced at $20!  All the other flights on that day were hundreds of dollars, except that one.  I thought it must be a computer glitch and so I tried to book it, thinking for sure by the time I got to pay, the system would right itself and it would re-price.  But it didn’t and I got a ticket from Montreal to Edmonton on a Sunday night for $78 with tax!    

I shouted to my friend what had just happened and told her now I was going to check the Edmonton to Halifax portion.  Now remember, this is a different city on a totally different day.   Can you guess what happened?  There were two red-eye flights, either of which would work with my schedule, and yes, they were both priced at $20!  Just to be sure there wasn’t some crazy sale I didn’t know about, I flipped to the day before and day after.  But there was nothing unusual in the price. The $20 flight only appeared on the day I needed and the specific flights I needed.  I quickly booked it - for $66!

As I marveled at what was happening the Lord spoke clearly to me, “I did this for you as a sign Stephanie.  I want you to know that you never have to try to make a way for yourself.   When I say I want you somewhere, nothing and no one, not even Air Canada booking systems, can say otherwise.”

I printed those tickets off and kept them in my office as a constant reminder to me that God can make a way where there is no way.

This story came back to me today as I read an amazing email from a Gen Xer, Svea Braun from Niverville, Manitoba, who, along with her family, is coming to the gathering.  This is what she wrote the Awaken team late last night.

So we had a miracle happen last night and thought it might encourage some others who are seeking to walk in rest as they wait for the provision for the trip to the Gathering.  We do not have the resources in hand to come to the gathering, as we are moving off salary at our church, and engaging a daily bread life currently.

We shared with our four girls yesterday morning during a family prayer time that we need $1000 for transportation and food by this coming Friday and we need a place to stay in Edmonton.  I had felt pretty strongly that we were not to stay in a hotel, that we needed a home, but also felt not to pursue the Awaken leadership to search for something for us.  I felt God would provide something supernaturally. 

Last night David and I were walking along the Assiniboine River looking at a construction site.  An older couple crossed paths with us and we struck up a conversation.  We realized that we had mutual friends, and they even knew some of David's relatives. "Ask them if they have a place for you in Edmonton" was the question the Holy Spirit dropped in my heart.  We had just met this couple minutes earlier.  After talking to them for over an hour about their lives, the Lord (they were believers) and much more, we had to leave.  We exchanged contact information and while driving home I told David we needed to call them and ask if they have a place for us in Edmonton.  So this morning we did, and the gentleman (whom we just met less than 24 hours earlier) called us back the afternoon saying his brother-in law-lived there and would be happy to accommodate our whole family including 4 kids.   Talk about fun divine appointment. We are looking forward to seeing how the rest comes.  It is going to be a testimony celebration!

What blessed our team in reading this amazing testimony was David and Svea’s determination not to do things by conventional wisdom. They could have asked me, who they know, to help them find a billet in Edmonton.  But they were determined to seek the will of the Lord in even the smallest detail and then believe Him to provide.  And because of it, they are on a whole other adventure with the Lord!

We also heard another testimony in the last few days,  this time from a Gen Xer in Quispamsis, NB named Jonathan Hallewell.

The first time the gathering was shared with me, I felt like I had to be a part. As soon as I saw the details on the website I asked my wife if she fancied a road trip! This trip seemed out of reach for several reasons, particularly financial, but we couldn't let go of it. I had just over half the aeroplan points necessary for the flight, which would have made it cheaper, although no flights to Edmonton were available. As we set in for prayer, we increasingly felt I had to get there by whatever means and investigated flights to Saskatoon, for which there was some availability. I was watching those flights to make sure they were available and randomly checked the Saint John to Edmonton flight again, which amazingly became available.

However, I was waiting to see if any opportunities to stay with someone came up, and the Edmonton flight disappeared :-( With no leads on accommodation, I was becoming increasingly frustrated, but still felt I had to go. While praying with my wife I suddenly felt to see how much more a multi-city flight would be, and investigated a flight from Fredericton, via Toronto and Calgary to Edmonton. Amazingly it was available! Still with no accommodation, I booked the flight, and then 30 mins later had an email offering me a place to stay. This gathering feels of strategic importance for me personally but also for those of us in the east. Can't wait to be there!

What touched us reading Jon’s email is seeing how he approached this from a place of faith. God was speaking to his spirit, and rather than looking at the circumstances and allowing them to harden his heart in unbelief, he decided to come into agreement with what the Spirit was saying and to do whatever he needed to get there – even if it meant flying into Saskatoon, 5 hours away and finding a ride from there.  We believe that it was his determination to be obedient to God and the faith with which he is walking that opened the door for a flight to Edmonton. I can attest to the fact that due to the huge Fringe Theatre Festival that is happening in Edmonton before and during the gathering, there have been no aeroplan tickets available from anywhere to Edmonton for many months.  So this really is a miracle!

We know there are many of you who feel called to this gathering but the circumstances seem impossible. So we wanted to share these testimonies with you as a way of encouraging you to remain in faith. We believe strongly that the next season is about seeing a greater demonstration of the sovereignty of God than we have ever experienced before.  And this consecration and the tests many are going through to get to Edmonton, are part of the preparation the Lord is doing for us to be able to walk through the new doors He is about to open.  Know this: as a team we are standing and contending in the Spirit with each one of you that God will make a way where there seems to be no way!

Love,
Stephanie
On behalf of the Awaken Team

If you would like to find out more about The Door is Open gathering, please visit www.awakenthedream.org/opendoor. 

If you would like to join The Warfare of Rest  consecration and receive the daily exhortations you may sign up at http://www.awakenthedream.org/connect.