The Lord says, “Whoever loves me, I will save.
I will protect those who know me.
They will call to me, and I will answer them.
I will be with them in trouble;
I will rescue them and honor them.
I will give them a long, full life,
and they will see how I can save.” Psalms 91:14-16 (NCV)
On Friday evening, I got three pieces of bad news regarding our upcoming return to the mission field, two of them about finances. No one deals well with bad news, myself included, and I felt like I had been punched repeatedly in the gut.
I have been living by faith for a number of years now, and for the most part I fully trust – body, mind, and spirit – in God’s provision. And then, out of the blue, I need a significant amount of money to pay more for something I wasn’t expecting. A hiccup in my faith. A glitch in my matrix.
It’s scary. My heart knows that my Heavenly Father is Jehovah Jireh, my Provider; but I’ll be completely honest in saying that my head, in that moment, chose to hear the taunting of the enemy.
[The commander of the Assyrian army said,] “Don’t listen to Hezekiah. The king of Assyria says, ‘Make peace with me, and come out of the city to me. Then everyone will be free to eat the fruit from his own grapevine and fig tree and to drink water from his own well. After that I will come and take you to a land like your own—a land with grain and new wine, bread and vineyards’…[But,] the people were silent. They didn’t answer the commander at all, because King Hezekiah had ordered, “Don’t answer him.” Isaiah 36:16-17; 21 (NCV)
In the midst of my turmoil, my dad came into the kitchen to inform me he was taking the family out to dinner, but that the deal was I had to ignore the enemy and get my joy back. That, and a Bleu Ribbon Burger with bottomless fries, helped me relax and gain perspective. And then, praying over the phone with my husband later in the night helped me get my focus back on God rather than my circumstances.
You might say to yourself, “I am rich because of my own power and strength,” but remember the Lord your God! It is he who gives you the power to become rich, keeping the agreement he promised to your ancestors, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:17-18 (NCV)
Fast forward to Sunday…
First Sunday of the month is community Sunday at our home church in Maryland. It is a time of fellowship over pot luck breakfast, extra time for worship, and a special time for testimonies and prayer.
A friend who lost her job a few months ago gave a testimony of how God has been providing for her in the most amazing ways. She was asked to stand with the ministry team and pray for anyone who needs provision.
Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity. She and another dear friend prayed over me and the various situations that need provision in my life right now. They prayed abundance and speed in that provision. They prayed that God would provide in ways that were unmistakably Him.
While getting ready to go home, I took out my phone and saw a message: “{A friend} sent you $ through PayPal-20 minutes ago.” God provided for my needs 10 minutes before these friends prayed that ‘provision was already on the way.’ He answered their prayers and the prayers of many other family and friends.
I was floored.
I know that God provides. He has provided for me in little ways and in big ways as I have been walking in faith for provision, and of course, even before I really had faith in Him at all. Recently, I have felt so disconnected because of the craziness of life that demands attention so much that special time with God is made up of little tiny hugs and kisses rather than long, quality ‘date nights’. I have been feeling very discouraged.
A simple act of obedience and of care, reminded me once again how much our Heavenly Father loves me no matter what with an everlasting, unshakeable, immovable love.
I will say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety and protection.
You are my God and I trust you.” Psalm 91:2 (NCV)
Blessings of Abundant Provision! – Julie, Vadipatti, India (written in the U.S.A.)
Scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Sixty-six books in a year 