Every. Single. Time.

"They spoke against God, saying,
"Can God spread a table in the desert?

20 When he struck the rock, water gushed out,
and streams flowed abundantly.
But can he also give us food?
Can he supply meat for his people?" Psalm 78:19-20

Are you tired of hearing about God's provision? I know I never tire of seeing his provision in action, and I never tire of sharing what He is doing for us. Even better, I love going through my archives, and reading past examples of what God has done. It's important to remember all that He has done, because it's a foundation for the faith for what He will continue to do for us.

This past weekend at church, we had a guest speaker come in. I'm familiar with the speaker, as he's been with us before, and a few weeks ago, when it was announced that he was coming, my heart sank. My heart sank because I knew that we were not going to have the money to be able to give to this man's ministry the way I would like to. Every time I hear him speak, there are just so many things that I take away from him, that I want to give back to him, even a little of what he's shared with us. So I prayed about it a bit. I prayed that He would be as blessed by his visit with us as I knew we were going to be by him, and I prayed that God would show me how we can bless him with what little money we did have. And I continued to pray about it. I'll be honest, what I was really hoping for was an infusion of cash somehow that we could put in a big offering.

But that didn't come. And the weekend arrived. I was at home, thinking about how I was going to be able to write a check to this man, and I really was asking God how we were going to do it. (Keep in mind, this desire was me wanting to bless this man, not me thinking we HAD to put money in the offering.) As I was doing dishes that morning, I really felt like I needed to balance the checkbook. So I sat down at the computer and I did my balancing. I took into account the week in front of us, because three of our major expenses for the month come at once, and when I saw what was left, my heart sank again. All visions of a grand check went away instantly. But, I knew where we stood, and that night, I wrote a small check, and just asked God to multiply that check for the ministry.

But we had another day yet of meetings. :-) And we still had a small balance in the checkbook that was left for gas and grocery basics. When the time came to take the last offering, I knew exactly what God was wanting from me, and that was a leap of faith. For me, it was a big leap, because I knew, on paper, where we stood, and I also knew that we didn't have enough gas/milk/cereal to get through two weeks to an unemployment payment. God was asking me to trust Him and His provision for us, would we trust in Jehovah Jireh to meet our needs? I was reminded of the widow in 1 Kings, chapter 17.

"Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD gives rain on the land.' "

15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah." 1 Kings 17:13-16

Now I don't know about you, but this just is a great leap of faith being taken by this woman. She has very little left for her and her son, and here this man of God is asking for it for himself first. She placed her faith in God though, and didn't argue about it, didn't complain, she just did it. She gave to God first, and then God took care of her.

Would I trust God to provide not just me, but my family with what we needed? As a parent, that was the tough part. When my son asks for a bowl of cereal, am I going to trust that God will supply what he needs when he needs it? I decided in just a few seconds, that yes, I was going to trust my God with all my heart. So I wrote that check. It certainly wasn't a large amount, but it was the last bit in that checkbook. And I've been praying on it all week. As I've watched the gas gauge go down, and the milk jug empty, and the cereal boxes disappear one by one, I've been in constant prayer for God's provision, because I trusted that He would meet our needs.

And here it is, Friday. There is just enough milk for Zander to have one bowl of cereal, and there are a few things we need. Basically, it's to the point where, we're eyeing up the kids Christmas money, trying to figure out how to use it to take care of the basic needs until next Wednesday, when we receive another unemployment payment. All week long though, there's been a fantastic peace about me, because I just knew that God was going to take care of this for us. This morning I go to the computer to find that one of our tax returns has already come through, and we have a deposit in our bank account. (Can you just see the big smile on my face this morning?) Not only can I take care of putting gas in the vehicles and buying the basics, but I can pick up the things that I would like to make Zander's birthday party tomorrow special.

God comes through for us every single time, and it just fills my heart with Thanksgiving and gladness, and I just love sharing how wonderful He is to those who trust Him! God sees all, He sees the needs of my children, and will take care of them in every way. I trust Him for that. Because my God shall supply ALL our needs. Not just some of them, or a few of them, but all.

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19