When God first told us to go do the job that
He had called us to, He told us 2 things:
1. If we were faithful to take what He gave
us, to the nations, He would take care of our home territory.
2. If we were faithful to put His call first
in our lives, He would provide for every need.
God's Faithfulness
He has been faithful to His promises. In years that we have
been out on the road, since 1995, we have taken more than 173 trips and most of them we flew all over
this country and to the nations.
We have been able to remain on the same piece of property in 2
different houses and have always been able to get where we've needed to go whether we had a car, 2 cars or no car.
We've been able to homeschool our son through a private Christian
school and to pay our bills and to put food on the table, and on the tables of others.
Abundant Provision
Others have given money for our needs, to pass on to
others and to use for our trips.
We've been given cars and the money to get cars. We've given
cars away. We've been given bicycles and the money to buy bicycles and also given them away.
We've been able to take what we didn't have to give to others and
it has multiplied in our hands.
We've had money appear in our bank accounts several times and
we've been notified of and given "unclaimed" dormant accounts that we had no way of knowing that existed.
We've been given free trips both by air and by car. We've been
given free rooms, both in private homes and in hotels.
We've been fed abundantly and been greatly blessed by others.
We've been given refrigerators,and given them away, a
freezer, a washer and dryer, a stove, and given one away, microwaves and most of the furniture in our home.
We've been given clothing, housewares, linen, jewelry, other
fine gifts and food.
The Widow of Zaraphath
But one of my favorite ways that God has blessed us is when
money appears in our home that wasn't there before, or He does this widow of Zaraphath(1Kings 17:8-16; "..The bowl of flour
was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty.") thing with our finances where there just isn't enough to cover
the need and yet the need, ALL of the needs are met and often there is something left over.
He just does this stretchy thing with our finances. He takes
the little that is there and somehow He manages to stretch it around the entire need and takes care of it.
Or He shows us an alternate unexpected, unorthodox route to
taking care our needs.
Every year when I do the taxes, I'm just amazed at how much
we have spent on the trips and yet we have managed to do every one of them and still take care of our household needs.
It doesn't seem that much at the time, and there is always
the money or the provision to do everything that needs to be done, not according to others' standards but according to God's
instructions. Which are always accurate.
When God calls, He ALWAYS provides NOT as we would like or
understand but as He wills.
Alternate Routes
We have learned to find alternate routes to get the things
we need. In our area we have many dollar shopping opportunities.
Before a trip, or for the orphanage or soldiers that we help
to support, we do a lot of dollar shopping for very nice gifts.
In areas where there isn't a lot of dollar shopping, we've
learned to buy multiple packed items in really nice stores which, when split up, ends up being very NICE dollar shopping.
Seasonal shopping and sales also offer great bargains. The
world is my mall. I buy gifts everywhere I go and carry gifts whereever I go, to give away.
I take to them what they can't get there and I bring home what
I can't get here. My shopping list usually has nearly 200 people on it, plus the orphanage and soldiers.
Grace and Faith
I used to say that I knew that God was going to provide but
I didn't know how. Then He showed me how I was misspeaking. He showed me that He provides by His grace.
So now I am learning to say that I know that He is going to
provide by His grace and in His time.It's really
simple.
If God has shown it to you, then He has already provided for
it.
It's our job to look around, ask questions and seek the direction
that we are to go in and to obey it. Which is the essence of faith. Hebrews 11;
Luke 7:7-9 "...but just say the word and my servant will be
healed.For I also am a man placed under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to this one,'Go,'and he goes, and
to another.'Come!' and he comes... when Jesus heard this, He marveled...and said to the crowd...I say to you, not even in
Israel have I found such great faith.' ".
2 Corinthians 5:7 "for we walk by faith, not by sight."
If we obey what we hear God telling us to do through the scripture
we read, the dreams, visions and words that He gives us then we will automatically be walking in faith. Because obedience
to God's direction in contradiction to man's or our opinions is the essence of faith.
