The Lord ALWAYS Provides For His Children

“Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting ALL your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5: 6-7 (NASB) (emphasis mine)

I often struggle with trusting the Lord with our finances. I am getting better at not panicking when it appears the bottom has dropped out of our bank account. However, I still have my moments where anxiety creeps in and I begin to fear the Lord has forgotten about us. During these times my husband seems much too calm, as I am freaking out. Over the past 3 years of our marriage his calmness during a storm has taught me to place my hope in the Lord and not fret about every little thing. I am learning that the position of our finances is a “little thing”. You might be wondering why I call it a “little thing”, as it is by the world’s standards the most important aspect of our lives. If you are hurting financially then life must really be bad. I am learning the opposite to be true. When our finances are barely existent that is when God is most present.

As Christians we will face trials and tribulation. These trials can and do come in the form of unstable finances. This is made more apparent in the lives of a home where the mother stays at home with her children. In society today both parents are expected to work. I am sure if I went to work today, we probably wouldn’t have some of the money problems we have. However, in the long run my family would suffer. So we suffer in taking a cut in pay so that we can put our family’s needs first.

Money seems to motivate people in so many ways. Money can also rule over a family causing more strife and division than if they were without a dime. I am finding the less we have in financial resources the closer my husband and I are. Even though I still panic from time to time, the Lord has never forgotten about us. He has never failed to bless us in ways we least expect.

I know that I have blogged on the unfair treatment my husband received after leaving Best Buy. He was told by the Human Resource department that he was not going to receive the bonus he was promised. This was such a hit to our bank account as we had planned on getting that money. We have so many bills to pay and debt that seems to swallow us. So when Best Buy told Malachi he would not be receiving that bonus you can only imagine how I felt. My husband took it in stride and settled it in his heart that obviously the Lord had something else planned for taking care of our bills.

Yesterday on a whim I decided to check the Best Buy website where Malachi would usually see how much he would get paid on pay day. When the page finally loaded I about fell out of my chair. Malachi was rewarded his bonus plus 12 hours of overtime! I was speechless for about 2.5 seconds and then picked up the phone and called Malachi. I could hear the excitement in his voice and we both praised the Lord for His goodness.

Malachi receiving that bonus and then some was a complete shock to us. We had settled it in our hearts that we wouldn’t be getting that money. The Lord obviously had different plans. His ways are not our ways and He will always provide for His children.

In our case the Lord doesn’t always provide with all the money we need, but with people who are willing to help us out. He has blessed us with the greatest landlords. We owe them about $2800 in back rent, but they tell us time and time again to pay what we can when we can. In fact, when I called our landlord to share with her our praise report she was so excited for us. Then she went on to tell me that Malachi and I needed to go out to a nice dinner and pamper ourselves! I am not sure how many landlords would say that. I was expecting her to say “So where’s my money?”. However, she and her husband are Christians and they often stop by to check in on me and see if we are in need of anything. They have spent many hours at our home encouraging us in the Lord. How great is our God!

So if you are struggling right now with your finances know that the Lord isn’t caught off guard. Know that He will provide at the right time, and that “time” isn’t always on our time frame. We as a fallen creation desire and seek after instant gratification and quick fixes. However, the situation we are in at any given moment may be for our good, even if we are hurting through it. The Lord is constantly molding and shaping us into His image. This process can and will include pruning. This pruning process can be a painful one as the Lord cuts away those things that separate us from Him.

I encourage you all today to cast all your anxiety on the Lord as Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:7. The Lord DOES care for His children. We know this because Jesus Christ suffered so that we may have eternal life with Him. Worry and anxiety does not come from the Lord. The enemy is seeking to destroy Christians. Satan isn’t just prowling around to just make your life a little uncomfortable…he is seeking to DESTROY you!

1 Peter 5:8 says “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” In this chapter Peter tells us that we will suffer just as our brothers and sisters all over the world are. We are to stand firm because this suffering will only last for a little while. Even if a person suffers their entire life here on Earth, it is only a vapor compared to eternity in Heaven with the Lord. So let us endure to the end “casting all our anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”

Serving God and My Family,
Crystal <>< (SAHM)