Provision

Thank you for being honest ! Yes God provides. But our testimony might not be as glossy as we would want, as we think other people's experience is. We think a miracle should just drop out of the sky without any visible source when in fact often it's the result of someone's generosity and hard work. We lived strapped for cash for many years but we never went hungry, but we ate some pretty odd things right from the back of the cupboard sometimes and I could make quite a lot of spaghetti sauce with just 2 burgers. We usually had a car, but once we drove past the scrap heap and saw not one, not two but three of our old cars on the tops of heaps. We have any number of car miracle stories, don't get me started ! We were living like most of the world lives, near the edge. God provided, but I couldn't waste one halfpenny. We did car sharing, house sharing, hand me on clothes, free entertainment. I'm so grateful for so much generosity shown to us. The children don't remember it as unhappy at all. I remember it as wearing, like it is for everyone else who is struggling to make ends meet, living like most of the world lives, near the edge. The problem is we get distorted views of what is the norm.

A rather nice little twist to our story is that after getting to rock bottom a few years ago when our health went too, the church we were helping fell apart, we got into debt - then God gave one of those quiet faith words and we knew without worrying that he was going to provide work. He did. Then various things. Since that point despite now being housebound invalids we actually have savings !

I think the key is involving God in the equation. We asked God to provide for us and were very grateful for what he gives. But we also had to include him when we have, not just when we lack. It might be that someone is not seeing God's provision because some of us are not including God's priorities in the budget when we have got the money.