Christian Living

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Never Homeless with Jesus
By Rick L. King
Jan 13, 2011

Many years ago, I found myself in a situation very setup by the Lord. I was without money, a vehicle, and a place to live. I had been walking close to the Lord for several years but this time things just didn’t come together. In my search for answers to many things I went to church that Sunday evening, (we use to have church on Sunday evenings). I thought Lord, if you don’t make a way or lead me in some way I will have to sleep on the street tonight. Being that I had never done that before I was not real happy about that idea. I went to church, was the first there and the last to leave. I found no answers. The only thought that I had after church was to call a friend of mine. He told me to come to his house for the night. I was praising God for that for sure. I stayed the night and the next morning he gave me $20.00 and said that that is all that he could do. I thanked him and left. As I was walking the street I kept asking the Lord what He wanted at this time for me. All the sudden the word camas came to me. I thought camas, what is a camas? Well, camas was actually Camas, a town just across the river in Washington State. Well, I had $20.00 so here I go. I hopped on a bus and off I went not having a clue what I was doing nor why. I just knew that this was no time to argue with the lord. If I was going to trust Hi, I’d better do it now.

It took five buses to get to Camas. Just before entering camas I was pretty much the only one on the bus. I started sharing some experiences with the bus driver about the Lord. She to my amazement pulled off to the side of the road and just listened to what ever the Lord had told me to say. This was the beginning of a new adventure for me.

I found a hotel in Camas and had enough money to stay two nights. For the next three days I found myself walking from Camas to another town called Washougal. I had the opportunity to share Jesus with I believe twenty-five different people. I was having a blast. The third day was rather cold and wet. I was walking and thinking a cup of coffee would taste good about now to help me get warmed up. The Holy Spirit told me no. He said to go to this church in Washougal instead. So cold and wet I kept going. I got to the little church thinking I sure hope they have an idea of where I should go as I needed a place to stay that night. I found myself sharing with the lady that I met there. She offered me an umbrella. That was a little disappointing to me as I was hoping for something a little more solid to happen. I kept sharing what was in me with the lady. She then told me that she was the Sunday school teacher. What I was sharing and walking through was actually what she was to teach on the next Sunday. She said that I was living proof of the words she knew to speak. For whatever reason the Lord wanted her to have first hand knowledge of what she was teaching. I think I would have enjoyed being there on Sunday to hear what she said. Our meeting was over, so off I went.

I do recall that prior to leaving the hotel that morning, the Holy Spirit had told me that I would see a lady that I knew that day. While I was walking and about mid way between the two towns this lady drove by. She saw me and stopped. I had lived with this lady a few years before and the Lord had me help her when she had to move. Well, here I am again. I ended up moving in with this lady once again.

This was to be another chapter in my story. Here I am in a little town with no money, vehicle or job and wondering what I was going to do. I kept praying and the Holy Spirit told me as I prayed that He just wanted me to pray. I thought but Lord, I need money. He said pray. I prayed for money for some time and finally the Holy Spirit told me to quit praying for myself. I was to pray for the county instead. I thought now how is this going to produce money for me? Oh the plan of the Lord that is so much higher than ours is. I finally submitted and started praying for the county. My prayer time turned into spiritual warfare and intercession that lasted seven days a week for 8 to 10 hours a day for ten months. What an adventure that was. I found that I could get closer to the Lord than I ever dreamed. We were constantly having this one on one conversation. During that period I was told that I would paint the hotel in Camas where I stayed. I asked them and they said no, we don’t need any help. Yet I knew that this was the Lord’s will so I just had to lay it down. It was his problem, not mine. I finally found some temporary work down the street from where I was then staying, so it gave me some money. I figured it out once that during that year I had lived on less than $600.00 for the entire year. God had supplied in other ways. One way was that I had some tools that the lady and I had gone to get. The Lord asked me if I wanted to sell them. I really didn’t as I had bought then new, but I agreed. Anything the Lord wanted was fine with me.

I had a patio sale with the tools and anything else I could come up with to sell. I started praying in the spirit and believing the Lord for $160.00 from the sale. I don’t know now why that amount, but it was important at that time. The weather during the sale went crazy. It started raining, then hailing, and then real cold with a wind. To my amazement people kept coming to the sale. They would just walk up and pick up something from the table and pay me and leave. One person told me that she was so glad I had stayed open. She said that I was the only sale open in town as everyone quit because of the bad weather. God is just something else isn’t he? Well at the end of the sale I had less than one-half of a box of stuff left. Usually people don’t even get out of their cars if they don’t see some quantity of things for sale. Not in my case, they came anyway. It was time to quit so I boxed what was left and counted my money. I had $162.40 cents I believe. The Lord answered and I got the $160.00 that I had asked him for. Took lots of prayer and going through a storm to get it, but he was faithful.

Earlier I had mentioned about the hotel that I was to paint. I found myself going there some time later. I had a total of three dollars in my pocket. I stood outside the hotel and told the Lord this time I am not leaving except in a casket. You told me I was to paint this and I am not leaving till I do. The owner came out and asked me if I needed a room. She said she knew that I had only $3.00 and she would accept that to cover the towel cleaning expense if I wanted to stay the night. I said yes of course. I woke the next morning with a knock on my door. It was the owner’s husband. He asked me if I wanted to stay and paint the hotel for my rent. That lasted four years. It worked out that I paid the rent plus got some above that amount for food and etc. I painted and remodeled twenty-one rooms before I left.

Though things don’t always go the way that we want or think that they should, this true story hopefully will help someone to just know that God is faithful. He will make a way where there seems to be no way. We are to walk by faith. When we are saved we give our lives to Him. It is no longer our decision as to what happens with them. He is the Lord and not us. He has plans for us that take us through many trials and on many journeys. The bottom line is that we learn that He is very much aware and in control of our lives. He is very faithful to take care of us. Sure it is not in the way that our carnal minds would desire, but we survive and learn so many things in our journey that we would never learn otherwise. It is always for our good. If we didn’t have a need, we would not ever see that He could and would fill it.

These scriptures comes to mind:

John 14:2 In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

God went before me and prepared the way. He prepared people and places and things for me. He was faithful.

Rarely after intercession to I get to see results of many things. I told of praying for the county instead of myself. Short version is that I ended up working for a major company a few years later. I would get $200.00 a month raises while others got $20.00. My salary doubled within the 9 years that I had worked there. One day while there I was told to go home a different way. I started down the back road and all of the sudden the presence of the Lord came on me. I thought I would be translated, as it was so intense, I had a difficult time driving the vehicle. He then told me to look around. I saw many new buildings and much prosperity. He told me that this was the result of my obedience and intercession. That was a real blessing to me. I am sure there must have been others praying also, but He did tell me it was because of my obedience. I have often thought that if so much can happen because of one obedient and interceding, what could happen if the whole body of Christ was to surrender and allow Him alone to run their lives. Major possibilities aren’t there?

Through it all, God was faithful to me. I may have been homeless to my way of thinking, but God was so faithful and took me on the journey to find him in a new and wondrous way. I will never regret but am grateful to Him.

Comments? Please direct all inquiries to my email [email protected] as I can't receive mail here at this time. Thank you.

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