Praises to Our Jehovah-jireh; God Is Our Provision

God never fails to amaze me; frankly, I pray that I never become so blasé that I am not amazed and overwhelmed at His grace and goodness. It’s times of panic and uncertainty that He reminds me of His provision. Just recently, I was about to release an “all points bulletin” to everyone concerning our layette ministry. During the latter part of 2010 and in early 2011, we were depleting our layette supplies. We were running out of many basics! In the process of making an assessment of the specific needs, I received a phone call from one of our supporting churches; the women in the church had hosted a baby shower the previous Sunday after church, and the gifts were bountiful! They did not know of our dire need – I had not yet communicated it to anyone, but God did. Now the shelves are well-stocked, and new moms and their babies will be blessed by these gifts.
“Tiara”, one of the most recent new moms, invited me to her home recently to visit. Armed with a beautiful layette, I arrived to meet her, her precious two week old infant, her foster mom and foster sister who she considered her only close family. We had a lovely visit, took pictures, talked about the future and about her plans; it was encouraging to hear of her desire to make a better life and provide a better example for her children, and especially that she was planning to reconnect with the church and strengthen her relationship with Christ. When she and I were alone, we were praying together, and as we completed our prayer, she began weeping. Through her tears, she asked if I could give her some advice.
In the month previous to the birth of her child, she had not been able to work very many hours because of complications with the pregnancy, and now her power bill payments had fallen behind. With a two week old baby and in the midst of brutally cold weather, she was in danger of losing electrical service. Her family had just paid some on the bill for her, but it was not enough to keep the service on. I felt so helpless; we had already depleted the utility assistance funds through the center for that month.
So we called the power company, and I talked with the customer service representative. We learned that the payment made by the family member had not gone through and what would be further necessary to maintain service. Then we prayed again like never before, claiming God’s promise that He already knows the needs and He has an answer. I left Tiara with hope but no concrete answer as to how this was to be reconciled.
The next day, an unexpected benevolence resource surfaced, so with Tiara’s plight still on my heart, I called the power company again to see if we could settle enough to maintain service. To my delight, the family’s payment had not only finally gone through, but it was a much larger amount than we had previously thought; no longer was there a danger of discontinuing electrical service for Tiara and her baby. Praise the Lord! Later that day, we discovered a phenomenal buy on corn flour needed for our Mixtecan families to make tortillas, and the new resource was put to great use. God already new exactly how that would happen!
Over the course of just a few weeks, layette needs, financial needs, food needs specific to other cultures and diets, and spiritual needs – all are being met in God’s timing and in His ways. I ask especially for your prayers for all of our volunteer missionaries at the center. Many are stepping out of their comfort zones to invest themselves in the lives of those they meet at the center. Invitations to church, offering transportation, witnessing and answering questions, and praying with people are all ways that they show Christ’s love to these new friends. Watching God reveal Himself through their words and actions touches my heart and humbles me to follow such examples, too! Many of our missionary volunteers are older and wiser and have followed Christ’s leading for their entire lives; I am humbled to work alongside such godly examples. “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith” (Hebrews 13:7). Thank you, friends, for your partnership in Kingdom work.