Thankfulness to God for our past and present changed our future!

Testimony by Sarah Augenstein


Last year we decided to look for a new place to live for a number of reasons - not only because our apartment was too small, but it also had a faulty air conditioning unit outside our bedroom window that sounded a bit like rocks in a dryer. We had two loud 80 lb dogs nextdoor to us that were unruly and untrained. We also had a couple of college students down below us that would yell loud profanities at video games at all hours.
 
So we were looking for a new apartment and getting a little bit frustrated. I asked God, “why aren't we finding anything?”

I thought for a moment and responded, “You’re right God, despite the difficulties that this apartment has brought, it has also been a blessing to us in this season and I haven't thanked you for them.” So I started to thank God and list off many of the reasons it had blessed us.

Philippians 4:6 came to mind: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God …”

When we are coming from a place of abundance we are remembering what He’s done for us. When we have a mindset of lack it can be actually painful to envision the future because it’s reminding us of what we don’t have. A lot of times we pursue things and desire things without having remembered and thanked God for what He has done in the past.

That week I was listening to a Bill Johnson sermon in which he said, “hunger and thankfulness are two sides of the same coin."

 I thought this really hit the nail on the head with what I was experiencing. I was striving for the new thing without being thankful for the old and it was leading me into a place of being frustrated. 

As God was changing my heart through this process, I decided I would pray and stop striving, surrender to Him and and trust Him to provide for us exactly the house He had prepared for us. I was going to operate out of a place of resting in Him.

I still had to do my part and look online for houses but this time I wasn't going to strive. About a month later I found something online that ticked all the boxes we had been asking for. I called the landlord. He said he had just got back from a 2 week trip and had about 20 people call about the property in that time. I thought this was a long shot.

We spoke on the phone for about 30 minutes and he said “I like the sound of you guys and I’m going to let you see it first and rent it if you want it.”  Wow! This was so obviously God’s favor over the situation. When we surrendered the whole situation into His hands He gave us favor for exactly the right thing at the right time - which He had specifically prepared for us!

A couple months after moving in Peter had a word for us: “Don’t settle. Catch your ASK up to God's YES.” 

He wants to continue to say yes to us! May we not become complacent but to continue in thankfulness and hunger!  There’s more He wants to give us … over and over and over again. It’s not just this one thing that we need. He wants us to dream with Him. He wants to say yes! He’s inviting us on a continual journey with Him. 

I hope that we will always remember the power of thankfulness, surrender and hunger as we let our requests be known to God. What will you ask, dream and surrender into God's hands?