Provision

A couple of Christmases ago I remember finding out that my dear, sweet husband had racked up $900 on our credit card. I was not happy. When, years prior, he claimed he could do a better job paying the bills than I, I gladly handed the responsibility over to him. He soon saw that we never have any money because there just isn't any. That's why he found it necessary, he again claimed, to charge food and gas and other necessities of life on the credit card.

Despite his perfectly justifiable explanation, I was still very upset. How were we going to pay this bill?? I ranted and raved about interest rates and once you're in the hole you can't get out yadda yadda. Maybe I was having a bad day. Not one of my stronger moments of faith. I was too busy pointing the finger to trust God.

I'm so thankful my husband puts up with me. He calmly said not to worry, the Lord would provide. He was working very hard and doing his part. He wasn't lazy, afterall. Now God would do His part. We just have to pray and trust him. I just muttered about how that was a convenient way to not take responsibilty for getting us into this mess grumble grumble grumble. I can be so self-righteous sometimes. He left me alone to pray about it.

So I did. Prayed my guts out for days, weeks, asking the Lord to "pleeeease rescue us, please get us out of debt, please fix our (his) mistake. InJesusNameAmen."

One day he came home from work and just looked at me with an unusually big grin on his face. I said, "What? Whaaat??". He asked me if I believed in God's provision. I said, "yeah, sure". Really convincingly. So he went back out to his car and brought in a paint bucket. Oooo, that's great, honey, a paint bucket. He said, "Look inside". Sigh...okay.

There in the bottom was $1000 worth of rolled quarters.

His boss has purchased some estate of some kind, and the rolled quarters came with the deal. He gave them to Tony and said "Merry Christmas." Funny thing, he's Jewish.

I. am. such. a. wretch. You don't have to tell me, I know.

Can we trust God to provide for us if we step out in faith to follow him? We should know by now that we can. He is merciful and kind and good. Sometimes providing above and beyond what we need. We have so many stories like that. We really do. All I have to do is recall them. How much more does He have to show us so that we can believe? Why do we find it so hard to trust the God of the Universe who holds it all in His hands?

"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that you have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."  ~Matthew 7:30-33

:)