You are waiting, I think, much as a merchant in the old port of Joppa waited for his ships to come home. Day after day he scanned the horizon, and a piece of news, good news, was to him like a cup of cold water on a scorching day. Your plot of land, your venture, your hopes for what the sale will make possible, they are out before you, and you are looking for the one who will buy, and buy well. That waiting can drain the heart, but the same Lord who sends the ships into harbor sees you in your waiting, and He has not forgotten.
It is a good thing, and no small mercy, that you have brought this matter to the Lord in prayer. For if you were to shoulder the whole weight yourself, you would soon grow weary. But when you hand it over to Him, truly hand it over, you may yet find your soul joyful in your God while the answer is still on the way. The outward circumstances may not have changed, but the inward peace has come, because the burden has shifted from your shoulders to His. He is such a great God that we can greatly rejoice in Him even before the buyer knocks at the door. The psalmist did not say, “I will rejoice when the trouble is past.” He said, “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,” and then his soul was joyful in his God regardless of what news the next hour might bring.
I would not have you think that your need is too small or too earthly for His notice. The Lord who clothes the lily and feeds the sparrow has not left the selling of your plot outside the circle of His care. You may pray about it as freely as a child asks his father for bread. He has dealt well with His servants in ten thousand storms and straits, and He will deal well with you now. The price, the timing, the very person who will buy, these are known to Him, and He is able to arrange what you cannot. Wait upon Him with open hands, and let your heart be fixed, trusting in the Lord, so that when the good news comes you will see His handwriting upon it.
And if the answer lingers, do not turn away from the stream because you are thirsty. Let the delay drive you nearer to Him, not further off. I have known the Lord’s people to discover afterward that the very waiting was a gift, for in the waiting they learned His statutes and found His company sweeter than before. He may be teaching you good judgment and knowledge in the business of your soul while He works out the business of your plot. The two good things often travel together.
May the Lord Himself send you a buyer, and a good price, and may the investments that follow prosper in your hands. But more than that, may you find Christ to be your treasure while you wait.
Father, into Your hands I commend this dear soul. You know the land, the need, the hope. Bring the right buyer at the right time and at the right price, for You are the God who provides. But in the meanwhile, steady this heart; let it not be afraid of evil tidings, but fixed, trusting in You. Give the peace that passes understanding, and let this one rejoice in You, come what may. In Jesus’ name, amen.