What Do You Do When There Are No Horses?
A Story About When God Says No
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I was devastated. God said no.
Sitting in my car, I sat bawling my eyes out, pleading with the Maker of all things, the one who could make a way out of nothing.
But there were no horses when I drove in. I knew my answer before I even asked the question.
Rewind: A week before
“We can’t afford it.” my husband said kindly. “Why do you want to see it?” I didn’t really know why. Curiosity, envy, lust, who knows? But I wanted to see it.
My husband had already spoken to the owners and knew it was above our price range. But I asked him to show me where it was and so we slowly drove past, peering into the house from the street. As we drove away from the house with the FOR SALE BY OWNER sign, a car stopped us.
The owner had spoken to my husband before and recognized his truck. He rolled the window down and invited us in for a look. My husband shifted uncomfortably, wishing he was invisible at that moment, but we had been spotted, looking at the house again. Doing what house hunters do: drive-bys.
I had butterflies as we backed the car up and followed him into the drive. I could tell my husband was worried, he didn’t like looking at things he couldn’t afford. Me? Well, that’s my specialty…
Of course, I loved the house, it was in our ideal neighborhood and it was huge! I imagined the kids playing hide and seek under the big stairwell and watching TV in the little room that adjoined the kitchen while I cooked. I had even designated a room for my parents when they came to visit. This all worried my husband.
As we walked out the front door, I determined that this was the house for us. The little $100K difference in price couldn’t possibly stop us from our dream house… after all, God was on my side. I knew He always was.
When we got in the car, my husband was silent and I started to cry. I told him how much I loved the house and began to come up with ways we could earn the extra cash or finance right from the owner. I was full of suggestions. He was silent. He’s a realist, I’m a dreamer and a prayer. Sometimes my prayers are answered, sometimes they aren’t.
Fast-forward to the Day the Horses Went to Play
I strain my eyes to the right and the left. But no horses… I’m baffled.
I sit crying, praying, a block away from the house I knew was to be mine. Crying because there were no horses when I drove in. I was determined to call the owners and strike some kind of a deal for that house. They needed to sell and we needed to move. Our apartment was already under contract and we hadn’t found a place to move yet. It just seemed to be right.
That day, before leaving the house to set out on my one-woman bargaining spree, I pleaded with God, the way that Gideon did with the wool fleece and the morning dew, I said, “Lord, if the horses are there, I’ll know this is the house for us.”
Driving in I was shocked — there was not a horse in sight. The horses were always there. Three of them. They had been there every time I came near that house and passed it after dropping the kids at school.
But today, there were none. Not one stinkin’ horse. My heart sank and in it, I knew my prayer wouldn’t be answered in the way I wanted it to be. After all, I had bargained like this with God before and He was always true.
I still pleaded with God, even though the horses weren’t there. I still didn’t give up my earthly wants to His divine power.
I called the owner, she knew I was interested so I had her phone number. I rattled off the speech I had prepared in the car. She sounded stunned and her answer was a soft but firm no, financing was on the table, but not for the amount that we could comfortably afford.
I knew my husband wouldn’t go for it. I was devastated, but I knew all along. Because of the horses.
A short time later, God showed us the house He was saving for us. But I’ll never forget the horses. I can’t forget how God allows me to bargain with Him if I wish, but He is always in control. This time he was in control of the horses. The day I saw the house we did buy, those horses were on the road, without the prompt from me, but I couldn’t help but smile when I saw them. He hadn’t forgotten my request.