A Room Furnished and Ready

"Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water, follow him; wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, 'The Teacher says,"Where is My guest room in which I may eat the Passover with My disciples?" And he himself will show you a large upper room furnished and ready." Mark 14:13-14

Reading the text, it is evident that Jesus knew what the plan was. The room was furnished and ready for Him and His disciples to celebrate the Passover, what we know today as the Last Supper.

How about the man who owned the house? Did this man, his name lost to history, know why he was making a room "furnished and ready?" I wonder if he had other plans for the room. We don't know if he was preparing for a bride or children, other guests, or if this was just the home of a man rich enough to have unused space. I can't help but wonder at his thoughts as the events of the next few months unfolded, from the arrest and crucifixion to the resurrection, and beyond. When Jesus was appearing to crowds in His resurrected body, did the man tell anyone who would listen "He ate His Passover at my place!" Whatever his plans for that room were, God used it for His glory.

I consider the "empty rooms" God has used in my life. Time set aside long in advance for one thing becomes exactly what I needed for some unforeseen event. Money often travels this way...a bonus or tax return is on the way and we anticipate all the ways we will spend it, only to have something major break. God knew why we would need the money or the time and already had it being prepared, but we are the last to know. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but the Lord's purpose will prevail. (Proverbs 19:21)"

Sometimes we feel the urge to build in a certain direction, and we knock ourselves out trying to figure out what it all means. Reading this story of the "furnished and ready" room encourages me to keep going, listening to His voice, even if I'm not sure why. When the Lord shows up on my doorstep, asking for a place to show His glory, I want Him to find everything just as He needs it. The dark nights, the sunny days, the incomprehensible, and the routine... it all goes into  preparing the space that He will use. Perhaps every week that man made sure the room was clean and dusted, with no idea why.

How about you? We know that "God causes all things to be used for good, for those who love God and are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)" Will God find your life, your space, furnished and ready to be used for His glory?