God Does The Unexpected
What do you do when you promise to do something but then God says not to do it? Do you keep your word or do you break your promise? This happened to me once when I was part of a small congregation that rented a church where we met. The pastor desired to buy the building and another member and myself pledged to each put up half the money to do so. However, after I said I would help out, God said to me, “do not buy the building.”
Feeling like a schmuck
I felt badly because I thought I would look bad for pulling out of something that I had already agreed to do. However, I obeyed the Holy Spirit and told the pastor that God said not to put up my part of the money. As you might imagine, this did not please the pastor and our relationship deteriorated after that. I also told the brother putting up the other half of the funds about the warning God spoke to me. Naturally, the brother was not happy with me either, and instead of listening to what God was saying went ahead and bought the entire building for the pastor and our little congregation. At the time I really looked like a schmuck and I felt terrible.
The pastor has left the building
Several months later, while in Africa, I received word from my wife that the pastor suddenly left town. One day moving vans, without warning, showed up and the next day the pastor and his family left for another state. The small congregation disbanded and the person who purchased the building was left holding the bag. The abandoned building took almost 4 years to sell and even then sold for less than it originally cost.
It is hard to trust God when doing so will make you look like a fool in the eyes of others. If God says Zig when everyone else thinks you should Zag it can make you feel very uncomfortable. God knew that the pastor would not stick around and that buying the building was an unwise move. I am glad I listened to my Father God. Obedience saved me a lot of headache in the long run and strengthened my faith in His still small voice.