My student visa was to expire on a Tuesday, so I had to apply for my permanent residency no later than then. If nothing was done before midnight on Tuesday, then according to the law I would have to be on the next plane home.
We were 8 days to this deadline and our bank accounts were completely dry. No money, no visa fees, no further stay.
We had just paid about $8,000 in student fees and were out of ideas on how to get the sum we needed in such a short deadline. My parents’ accounts were dry, my inlaws didn’t have that sum, and everything looked shaky.
If I left Australia then, it would take me no less than a year to come back to my wife.
Someone had promised to lend my father some money, but it wasn’t going to be enough. Worse, 6 days to the application deadline the money didn’t come.
I didn’t know how to tell Natasha to prepare for the eventuality of seeing her darling husband leave for an indefinite time. Time and again I sat quietly and played all the sad scenarios that could possibly unfold. I had all the answers ready for those who’d call me a ‘waste’ back home, and all the reassuring words for my family’s broken hearts. I was 2 units away from finishing my degree, so leaving now would mean that my family’s investments would have gone to waste.
Then…
4 days before the deadline we received a starter portion of the fees from Natasha’s parents…
And the big rest was sent by my parents the next day! But hear this: Unfortunately one of the money orders had a problem! The recipient name was wrongly spelled, which for the huge amount we expected was grounds enough to decline the transfer.
I’ve had transfers declined for less. It was Friday and this mistake couldn’t be corrected before Monday in Cameroon, which would be Tuesday in Australia. The same Tuesday when my visa would expire.
Simply put, I could not enter into possession of that money on time.
For a short minute, we were floored. We couldn’t believe that God could come through so neatly for everything to fall short so close to the finish line. I say ‘for a minute’, because soon enough Natasha and I decided to trust God to finish what He had started, and do again what He had just done:
Do what?
A few days before we received anything from anyone, we had heard a sermon which urged us to walk in the finished works of Jesus at the cross.
The message stressed on the idea that at the cross everything had been provided for and done for us, and that God wasn’t going to do again what He had already done, because it would mean He hadn’t done it perfectly the first time. Hence as Christians we had to chose to enter into possession of those things or not.
So Tash and I chose to believe that God would be the source of our fees and that this situation like all the others in our life was already solved.
Instead of asking, we started thanking God.
So her parents sent the first part and mine sent the rest plus extra. When we noticed the recipient-name mistake and decided to trust God to fix that too, He did. On Monday we were allowed to withdraw the money despite the mistake and that same night we finally lodged our visa application! Just hours before Tuesday.
Notice that the main investment Tasha and I made here was our faith, which bought for us the physical manifestation of a promise God had already made available in the Spirit…
At the right time.
How does this relate to your wait?
God is aware of your deadlines and everything you have on the line.
If it hasn’t happened yet, it does not mean that it won’t. He does all things beautifully in their time and will never allow you to go through more than you can bear.
Remember that even this, whatever ‘this’ is for you, was accomplished for you at the cross and that he doesn’t change His mind on the promises He makes. If you would replace your fear with faith and your lamentation with gratitude, then your wait will be a little, and then a little bit more bearable.
See for yourself…
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For still the vision awaits its appointed time; it hastens to the end—it will not lie. If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come; it will not delay. (Habakkuk 2:3)
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He has made everything beautiful in its time. (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
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For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. (Romans 11:29)
You’re so very loved.
–Pat.
