Great Is Your Faithfulnessਨਮੂਨਾ

Faithful to Provide

In January of 1998 my husband and I got married on the first weekend of the year and began to travel in itinerant ministry the second weekend, with a few short days of a honeymoon thrown in between. We were both the ripe old age of 21 and anxious to get started in the lane of ministry to which we both felt God had called us. Just to add a few layers of stress to the mix, we each had a plus-sized load of college classes and course work to complete our bachelor's degrees and a 30-45-minute commute to different colleges from our one-bedroom apartment in Springfield, Missouri. I am quite certain our parents were on pins and needles as we had concluded: "We don't have time for real jobs while we are finishing our senior year of music degrees. We will just jump right into a traveling ministry to support our new full-blown adult life!"

The pastors who had graciously began opening their pulpits to this raw, inexperienced young couple who felt a call to evangelism were almost exclusively back in Oklahoma, our home state, several hours away from our Springfield residence. So, we loaded our tiny little Nissan Sentra up each Saturday morning and headed to our next Oklahoma destination to preach the Good News and cut our teeth on what has now turned into an almost three-decade adventure in itinerant ministry.

We were living the good life, enjoying the early days of marriage, and burning the midnight oil to keep up the pace. Most of the churches' offerings were sufficient to pay the small amount of bills we had, just starting out. However, it wasn't but a few months into this joy ride that a less-than-stellar honorarium brought this life-is-a-highway thrill to a screeching halt. We were short by a few hundred dollars and some change.

So, we prayed.

This lane of life was all new to us, but what we did know was that God had called us to it, and we'd always been told: where God guides, He will provide. And so He did! Within a few days of the looming bill's due date, my husband checked our mailbox, only to find a check from someone we did not know, a check for the perfect amount due, right down to the penny! A random stranger, perhaps from a church where we had ministered in the few months prior, felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to send an otherwise random amount of money to two young adults with a call on their lives.

God is faithful to provide.

Following the children of Israel through the wilderness, we see God's abundant provision in the midst of dire circumstances. Water from rocks, a dried pathway for millions of people through a sea to safety, bread rained down from Heaven, guidance from a pillar of fire in the sky...these are undeniable testimonies of God's faithfulness to provide. Whether it's through tangible items needed to survive like food and water, or through provision of a man or woman of God to warn, rebuke, and encourage, we learn throughout Scripture, and now in our everyday lives, that God desires to provide for His people.

"Lord, thank You for your faithful provision in my life. Every single day of my life You have provided for me. You provide breath to my lungs, strength to my bones, funds to fulfill Your plan, clarity when I am confused. When I trust in You, You are always on time. Show me how to be Your hand extended, to partner with You to fulfill needs for others as I see them. Use me to be a blessing to Your people and those in need."

Dig a Little Deeper

Consider an experience in your personal life when you have seen God show up where there seemed to be no way. Write it down to reference in the future when you are tempted to question His provision out of desperation. Share that testimony with someone this week who needs to be reminded of God's faithfulness to provide.