A LIFE UPROOTED
November 19, 2020 10:47 AM
DANA r
The idea for this next story came from a vision the Lord gave me on 10/17/2020. In the vision I saw a woman squat down and pull up a tree out of the ground, roots and all, with her hands. End of Vision.
I knew the Lord wanted me to write about how He led me to uproot my life and move from Ohio to Missouri. It all started around the time of “The Miracle of the Birds” testimony, which is also published on this website. I was recovering from a traumatic event that caused me to start seeking God with all my heart and soul. Every day, for months on end, I would sit before the Lord in prayer asking Him for direction and clarity. So day after day I would pour out my heart, ask Him for help, and then I would listen for some sort of response. Days turned into months, yet I heard nothing. Finally on March 30, 2017, I sat down in prayer before Him one last time. I had prayed the same prayer for so long that I honestly thought He just was not going to answer, but I figured I would give it one final shot.
So I was sitting there quietly listening, when the Lord did something that rocked my world. I heard the sound of static, like what you would hear between channels when tuning a radio. Then the static went away and I heard the words “LEAVE. GO WEST. MISSOURI. ######” (Note: ###### stands for the name of a city in Missouri, which I am masking). Suddenly my world turned upside down. I was in a tailspin. Was that really God? Did He really speak like that? I began searching the scriptures for confirmation if God actually spoke. Then I found confirmation in John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me.” And even more confirmation in 1 Samuel 3:4.
The next thing I did was ask for confirmation because I wanted to make sure it was truly Him. I thought back to a conversation I had with a friend only a few days prior about how to confirm that you’ve heard from God. She had mentioned the way to know was by using a “fleece”.
So after reading about how Gideon confirmed he had heard from God in Judges 6, I decided to use a “fleece” also. I said to the Lord “Could we use an animal like a dog or cat that would confirm that it truly was you Lord Jesus who gave me that word to leave”. But I did not say this out loud, only thought it in my mind. By the way, you can use anything as a “fleece”; it doesn’t have to be what I used. It just needs to be something meaningful to you that only you and the Lord know about.
The confirmation came 2 days later. While I was praying I saw a vision of the little dog on the TV show Frasier jumping up and down and acting silly. As I was watching the dog’s antics, I heard the words “YES. ######, MISSOURI.” Amazing!
Not only did He confirm, but he used the TV show Frasier to do it. That was significant because I had been binge watching Frasier a few weeks prior. Eddie, the dog, was my favorite part. I would sit for hours laughing hysterically at his shenanigans, waiting to see what he would do next. This meant that the Lord was very aware of my habits and observing me closely. That blew me away. The creator of the universe, who created over 7 billion people, was interested enough in me that he would keep track of my doings. Just incredible!
But the vision of the little dog still wasn’t enough confirmation for me, so I kept asking for more. Then on 4/4/17, I heard the Holy Spirit say “%%%%%”. (Again I am masking this name). That name was totally unfamiliar to me. When I googled it, it turned out to be the name of the county in the city of ######. Then on 4/19/17, the Lord gave me another vision. I saw a U-Haul truck in vivid color moving down the highway at high speed.
I kept thinking to myself, would the Lord actually ask me to leave my home, my friends and family, and everything I had ever known to go somewhere I had never been and where I knew no one? Just leave it all behind and go 600+ miles west to place that was completely unknown? So I was wrestling with what He wanted me to do, going back and forth. I wondered if He had ever asked this of others. At that point I had not read enough of the bible to know that He certainly does lead His people and direct their steps.
Not long after that, as I was taking my morning walk around the neighborhood, I noticed a moving truck in the front of the home of one of my neighbors, who I will call Mia (not her real name). I was shocked that she was moving, so I knocked on her door to talk to her. She told me that in March the Lord had told her husband that He wanted them to move to Texas. She said that she did not even have to put her house on the market. All she had done to get her house sold was to tell her neighbor what the Lord said. A few days later, her neighbor saw a car driving down the street very slowly checking out all the houses. The driver, an elderly gentleman, stopped her neighbor and asked her if she knew of anyone wanting to sell their home on that street. So the neighbor told him about Mia and that elderly gentleman is the person who bought Mia’s house. Amazing! Finally, I was convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord wanted me to move.
Let me just say that the prospect of moving over 600 miles to a place where I had never been and where I knew no one was absolutely terrifying! After researching ###### on the internet, I realized that it was a very hot climate – 90 degrees or more in the summer. My heart sank. I hate the heat. My preference has always been towards colder climates. Of all the states, Missouri was certainly not one that I would have chosen for myself.
Then I realized I would have to sell my house, which I loved. And I would be leaving the only support system I had ever known; all my friends, neighbors, and family. So basically I was giving up everything I held near and dear and moving over 600 miles to a place I didn’t want to go – all by myself!
Finally I decided I needed to head to ###### to check it out. So one day in May I printed out some map quest directions, got in my car, and headed west. But when I reached Indianapolis, I realized that I was completely lost. I barely managed to pull into a Walmart parking lot, before I burst into tears. Sobbing, I put my head down on the steering wheel and told God that I just could not do what He wanted me to do. It was just too hard. And I was not strong enough. And I wanted to go back home. Then I looked over and saw 2 Walmart employees on a smoke break staring at me. I rolled down the window and told them I was lost and did they know the way to ######. One of them told me she went there all the time and gave me the help I needed to get back on track.
By the time I made it to the Illinois Missouri border, I was emotionally and physically drained and knew I could not possibly go any further that day. So I rented a room that night just outside of St Louis. The next morning, I started to panic at the thought of navigating St Louis. All I could think of was Lord I just want to go back home! But I was at the ½ way mark of my 600 mile journey. So if I turned around at that point, I would have driven 600 miles for nothing. So I kept going and finally made it to ###### at the end of the 2nd day.
On my return trip back to Ohio, two amazing things happened. I had planned to cut the trip in half and rest in St Louis for the night because I didn’t think I was strong enough to travel 600 miles in one day. For years I had been plagued with back and neck pain, especially when driving. But when I got to St. Louis, I realized that I had no back or neck pain and I wasn’t tired. So I decided to keep driving. Somewhere in Illinois, I saw the most beautiful rainbow over the highway, which was pretty incredible since the roads were dry. When I reached Indianapolis, I still felt great – no pain – so I continued on. Finally around midnight I arrived home in Ohio and was amazed that I had no pain at all and I felt totally energized! I just know that the Lord strengthened me during that trip.
That summer I made 2 separate trips to ###### to hunt for a house to buy but could not find one. I had put my house in Ohio on the market thinking it would take months to sell, but it sold in 4 days! So I got to a point in time where my house had sold and I had to be out by the end of August, but I didn’t have any place to go in ######. Talk about scary. I spent many sleepless nights in an absolute state of panic. That is when I decided to rent instead of buy but I was too exhausted to make a 3rd journey to ######. So I found the rental house where I am now on the internet and leased it without ever seeing it in person!
So anyway on 8/31/17, I made it safe and sound to the rental house in ###### and got a look at it for the first time. It was better than I thought it would be. But the best part was the mountain-view from the front window.
Scriptures
Judges 6:36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said— 37look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” 38And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. 39Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” 40And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
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