I want to encourage you with what happened to me this month.
For Christmas I received some money from relatives. I was going to save this money for when I would need it later. There was a specific and very important purpose I had intentionally set is aside for. I am working to become a licensed minister, and as soon as I do become one, I will need to pay tithes to the District Office. I was really concerned about where I was going to get this extra money each month. That’s why I set aside the money and was somewhat satisfied that I finally had some ready for when the time came.
Fast forward to that Sunday. Our church had missionaries come speak and their message really spoke to me and even helped me to claim a part of my calling that God hadn’t revealed until that time. After service, I felt like I was supposed to give them the money I had received for Christmas. The money I had set aside for a reason.
I went home and picked up the money from my dresser and stood there staring at it in my hand for several minutes. In my head I kept going back and forth. I knew that I should give the missionaries this money, but I also knew I needed it for my monthly tithes once I am licensed. Back and forth my mind went as I stared at my dresser deciding whether to put it back or go to the church with it.
After several minutes of warring within my mind, I finally decide that if I even felt a little like I should give the missionaries this money, God would provide my funds for my District tithes. So, I took the money and gave it away. That was two weeks ago.
Some days I would think about it and wonder if I had made the right decision. Again, I would go back and forth between the missionaries needing it and me needing it. Each time this battle within my mind started, I had to remind myself that God was going to provide for me. At the time, I believed I would have to wait for birthday cards and things like that, but God surprised me by doing what I expected in an unexpected way.
Yesterday I decided to rearrange and clear out my room. This was no small task and I went through everything. In that process, I went through my dresser and I found some money I had set aside, it was a little short of what I had given the missionaries. That for me was exciting and I set it aside for my District offering. Then, I found my old cards. I opened several of them to read the nice notes from my Nana and my friends. Then, something amazing happened.
I found a card with money in it.
That’s right. I found a card that somehow I had forgotten to take the money out of. I added that to what I’d already found and that put me exactly at the amount I had given. That was pretty cool and I figured that was it. I had found some money I didn’t know I had and that was a real blessing and very cool.
But God wasn’t finished.
As I continued going through my dresser, I found two more cards with money in them and then some more money I had hidden and forgotten about. Again, I thought that was the end and was really excited and blessed that I could set that aside for my District giving.
God still wasn’t done.
Today my mom and I decided to go through some things I had set aside to go in totes. She was opening everything to see if we should keep it or throw it away. That’s when she came across another card with more money. You cannot imagine how exciting that was for me. God’s provision was more than I ever expected. A little earlier today I decided to sit down and count what I had found.
What I had found was exactly twice what I had given away.
This was such an amazing experience for me. I struggle with letting God be my provider sometimes. However, God taught me through this that I don’t need to worry. If I am willing to give up my sure thing, He’ll provide better for me.
When I was willing to give up my ability to provide for myself, God helped provide beyond what I thought He would do.
Did you notice that when I finally decided God would provide I was staring at my dresser? That same dresser is where God provided for me. I am going to go out on limb and say that God was telling me that He was going to provide for me through that dresser and I didn’t even realize it. So, here I am, and I want to take this moment to thank God for providing for me.
God, thank You for being my provider. Help me to keep surrendering my resources so You can be my provision.
“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers will be answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!” Matthew 6:7-8
New Living Translation
