“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV).
Is God faithful? Will he really provide for my needs?
Or are those just words that sound good but have no anchor in reality?
I can’t speak for others; I can only tell my story.
Laurel and I began a journey of learning about God’s faithfulness in January of 1984. I had accepted the position of administrator for a small Christian ministry in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We were excited about our move to Baton Rouge, but it included a challenge I’d never faced.
The position didn’t pay anything, so Laurel and I would have to raise our own support. Laurel grew up on the mission field so she had some experience in this area, but it was uncharted territory for me.
In the months preceding our move, we sent out letters (this was long before e-mail) to friends and family, asking them to partner with us in our new work. Responses came in, but not nearly as much as we were going to need.
All told, we raised about $500 a month in support.
Problem was, we had to cover a $175 car payment, insurance, rent (around $450 a month), utilities, etc. And we hadn’t even bought food yet!
I wasn’t worried though. If anything, I was overconfident. Maybe even a little cocky.
Laurel is an RN. Nurses are always in demand and they make good money. In my self-confidence, I knew that whatever we couldn’t raise in support, she could offset with income from the nursing job she would get after we moved to Baton Rouge.
Easy peasy. We’ve got this, God!
Well, not so much.
Right about that time there were some changes made to Medicare, and nursing jobs dried up. Completely! When we got to Baton Rouge, Laurel couldn’t find a nursing job anywhere.
In a city of (at that time) 150,000 people, she couldn’t find anything.
We had no income other than the $500 a month that friends and family had promised–and at least three times that in expenses.
I was about to enter the University of God’s Faithfulness. He was about to teach me the lesson of the manna.
(To be continued…)
I’m going through this right now. I’m trying to trust and remain confident in God. Can’t wait to hear the rest of the story to be encouraged. Thanks
It’s a long story, covering nearly 35 years, so it will take a while for me to tell it in full. But a lot of encouraging things happen along the way. Keep reading and be encoruaged. He is indeed faithful. — Jim