Monday, March 30, 2009

God Works Fast

With the downturned economy, with both Michael and me working and in school to try and make end’s meet, with my job about to end any day now without another lined up, with bills piling up – and with a baby on the way in the midst of such uncertain times, I have spent a lot of time worrying about the future. Although I am well aware of the biblical mandate not to worry or be anxious for anything (included in my last post, if I recall), the week before last found me really struggling and by Friday night of that week (after a very bad week indeed) I felt entirely downcast. I shared some of these misgivings with our home group that night. It was very difficult to hide my emotions. (I blame it on the pregnancy hormones!) Our small group rallied around us and prayed over us, assuring us that everything would be OK and reminding us that God had a plan and would work out the details. But in the midst of such much stress and anxiety it was hard to truly believe it even though my head knew it—there was a certain disconnect in my heart. It really had been a BAD week.

Little did I know that in one short week, God would answer our prayers in a bigger way than I ever could have dreamed of. In my view of our situation, I had limited God. Fortunately, our God has no limits.

This past Friday Michael and I were shocked when we came upstairs after Bible study to find our small group singing “Happy Birthday” to us. I thought there had been some horrible mistake and said “It’s not our birthdays.” Someone called out “Yes, but your baby will have one!” We looked around and this is what we saw…














Our small group had banded together to show us that God would provide and that He would do that, especially, through the people we are blessed to have in our lives. Among the items we received were a playard, a travel bassinette, a diaper genie with refills, a baby monitor and every toy you can imagine, just to name a few! (There was much more.) In that moment, I became so aware of just how blessed we have been to have such wonderful and generous people in our lives. (Not that I didn't know that already -- but I realized that God had sent them into our lives for a reason.) What a beautiful reminder that everything would be OK and that we’d have people around us to help us through the tough times as well as share in the good!

But the blessings did not end there! That night -- before we had even left our small group -- Michael got a call from his cousin Marc and his wife Julie, who we had just visited the week before, offering us an extremely generous opportunity to change our living arrangements for the better that will allow us to get out of debt and begin saving for our impending arrival as well as have much more room for our growing family. This move will also allow us to be much closer to Michael's family, which is a blessing in and of itself. It was all so much to take in and so fast. My head was spinning and this time I don’t think the pregnancy hormones had anything to do with it!


I had worked through how our situation would turn out time and time again, but never did I envision THIS. That God had worked so fast in this situation was dizzying, but it should not have been surprising. That night when I went to bed I just thanked God and asked for forgiveness for all my doubts. God has always met our needs when we sought Him in prayer. (Not always our wants, but always our needs and He has always known what those are better than us. This time He surpassed even that.) Though I knew this full well, I had allowed the situation to become bigger than God in my mind. How wonderful that God is bigger than any obstacle we encounter – and that He has a plan much bigger and better than any we could envision for ourselves.

To say we are blessed is an understatement but these are the best words I can find right now. Truly blessed!


I hope this will be a testimony of God's power and mercy and provision. I know there are so many people in these uncertain times who are struggling as we have been and I hope this will be a reminder that God has everything in the palm of His hands, that He is intimately concerned with what is going on in our lives, and that He WILL provide... that no matter how grim things seem, God is in control and He is bigger than the problems of this world. We need only put our hope in Him.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?" Matthew 6:25-26

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

3 comments:

  1. I got goosebumps reading this! So incredibly happy for you both or should I say three! Call me and fill me in on the new living arrangements. Can't wait to hear!

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  2. I am so happy for y'all and so thankful. May God continue to bless you and yours!

    (((HUGS)))

    God's Grace.

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  3. I am so happy for y'all and so thankful. May God continue to bless you and yours.

    (((HUGS)))

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