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Friday, December 31, 2004
When I was working early on in youth ministry, money was very tight. It still is, really, but it's different now. For example, early on it was about how could we afford food. Now it's how can we add afford another dance lesson or softball bat or orthodontia.
And I have some amazing stories from those early days about God's provision. Even as I type them, they don't seem real...they seem like something out of a television show or movie or something. And, I've found in my walk with God, the cliche is true: That truth really is stranger than fiction.
For example, one time we were juggling payments. You know, those bills that you have to make a decision about which one is overdue MORE than the others. Like, the phone will be turned off, but we have 30 days more on the power bill, so the phone is a MUST pay right now. And we were in dire straits as sometimes we missed paychecks and this was one of those times. So, I prayed in my office. About two hours later I get this phone call from a prominant businessman who'd seen his daughter's life change through her involvement in my Bible study. He said he didn't want to give to the ministry, he wanted to give to me, and he couldn't care less about tax write offs or anything like that...he then mentioned that he knew from his daughter's mentioning of prayer requests for our situation. "How much will it take to get you back to even on all your bills right now?" I told him. He wrote a check and had his courier send it over. Thanks, God.
Another time we were in some dire straits due to some medical bills, which concerned my wife a great deal. While I was praying about it, I remembered that I had some valuable baseball cards in our home that I'd collected since I was a kid in the 70's. I'd forgotten all about them ever since we moved into that house, but I looked for them, got them out of storage, went and sold them, paid all the bills. There was even enough left over to eat dinner out at our favorite Mexican restaurant and shop for a new Bible for Tracy that night. She still has that Bible.
One last one: I don't need a car for much...just driving a few miles every day, maybe getting to a meeting a few miles away or whatever. I put maybe 15 miles a day on my car on a busy day. I have had a series of bombs for cars, but they all run, they all get me to where I need to go, and this one even has a CD player in it. I've had 5 cars in the last 9 years, but I've never done without one, and I haven't paid more than $5 bucks for one, either. It might not sound like much, but it's God's way of providing for me.
And God has a history of provision for his children.
Look at the verses in Matthew for today. Yesterday, we saw how, from Mary and Joseph's perspective, the magi show up out of nowhere with lavish and expensive gifts for the Messiah. This poor couple has strangers show up on their doorstep, worship their toddler, and leave very expensive gifts for this couple that only two years ago couldn't afford to make much of an offering at the temple.
While Joseph slept one night, he had a dream. In this dream an angel talked to him and said, "Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."
I'm a dad. I know that if I was told to go to take my family to Egypt RIGHT NOW because they were in danger, I'd do everything I could to get that ball rolling ASAP. But I'd also have those "checklist" questions in my brain: "Gotta get on line and order the plane tickets. Gotta pack the bags with A B C D E F G H, etc. Make sure to get the baby's blanket & diaper bag. Gotta have the passports in the backpack through security..."
You get the idea.
Eventually, though, the big questions are going to come up: "How are we going to pay for this trip? How am I going to pay for my expenses living there, especially since I don't know how long I'll be there for?" Money questions.
I'm sure Joseph had them, too. I'm sure he knew people would wonder why this couple would flee from Bethlehem...it was a small town. People would notice. People would talk. They knew this drill first-hand.
But he obeyed...and he went. He trusted God to provide even though he had no idea what the future held.
And, oh, yeah.
That gold...
That frankincense...
That myrrh...
...that those wise men left.
Yeah. That should take care of any financial problems we should have the next couple of years.
Prayer answered. Need provided already.
There's plenty of evidence in the New Testament, especially about birds of the air and lilies of the field, that God provides for His people. He gives them what they need, and usually they receive what they need in abundance.
That's been my experience. It was Joseph's.
So the question today is to ask what is it that you need to trust God to provide on this last day of 2004? And then give Him the problem...
...and experience the peace of an easy yoke. That's the best way to end a year. Or start one. Or live every day during one.
Brent 6:02 AM
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