Jehovah Jireh!

Man alive! One of the easiest/hardest things in life is to continue to trust God through the toughest moments in life.  We have all had these moments!  Times when it doesn't look like there's any way out and you will never be able to get ahead.  Times when it seems like the hits just keep on coming and there's no relief in sight.  Times when you are face to the ground, just waiting for sweet, eternal release because you are unable to bear any more.

Another easy/hard thing in life is to continue to trust God through the easier moments in life. We have also had these moments! Times when all is well! Your family is getting along, the bills are paid (there may even be a bit extra in savings), work is fun and active, and you are praising God for all the blessings he has bestowed upon you.

I heard a song that reminded me of this duality:

This song has rung in my heart all day today and I am grateful for its message speaking into my life today because it speaks to the state of my heart lately. Most everyone that knows us knows of our financial struggles over the past six months and the series of setbacks that had put us so far behind that it was looking as though we were going to have to leave New Orleans. This was not what we wanted but it seemed as though God was closing one door after another here and moving us to the next phase in his plan for us. 

Here's the best part: through this whole process we have leaned hard on each other for inspiration and comfort and we have learned to lean even harder on God, together.  I'm not saying it was always easy or that our hearts were always malleable during this time; in fact, there were times it was more like, "Okay God, what are you doing here? we don't understand! You're the one who called us down here and it seems like you've left us to flounder!"  Yes friends, there were many times when it was more of a head knowledge and trust that God would take care of us and very little heart trust.  We had to trust in facts:
          

1. Fact: Throughout the Bible, there is evidence of God's provision for his people.
1. The ram provided for Abraham in the place of his son.
2. Joseph being sold into slavery and becoming the way through which God saved his family during the famine.
3. God providing manna and quail for the Israelites during their wanderings.
4. God speaking to his people through the judges and prophets; providing them with guidance as to right living.
5. And let's not forget the BIGGIE, God sending his Son to earth to suffer death on the cross, enduring a period of separation from the Father,     and then rising again; all to act as the final sacrifice for all our sins so that we may be restored to the Father.
2. Fact: Throughout our individual lives, God has provided for both of us.
1.  For Andy (not an exhaustive list!):
1. God gave him parents who were grounded in Christ and devoted their lives to serving him in whatever capacity he asked of them. Even when that meant that Bob "had" to leave his lucrative job in broadcasting and take a part time job to support his family while he went to seminary.
2. God led Andy to join the Air Force which provided a wealth of experiences and placed him in an installation not from from the birthplace of Abraham.  Not only did God impress upon him the significance of this place, he also laid it upon Andy's heart that he would meet his wife in church.
3. God fulfilled that promise when he met me on March 20, 2011 at FBC Laurel; consequently, a church he'd only visited once or twice before and had not intended to return.
2.  For Missie (not an exhaustive list!):
1. God gave me a diverse family with a variety of experiences that have enabled me to relate to a lot of people in my life.  He impressed the significance of this opportunity upon my heart in college and has repeatedly placed hurting people in my life that needed help or encouragement, demonstrating to me that it was not all for nothing.
2. I have been serving in youth ministry for about 15 years and  a 90% of the time I was in an unpaid, full-time position.  I don't say this to brag; I say this as a statement that I knew what god had called me to do and I was going to do whether or not I would be paid for it.  This meant I had to work several part-time jobs, at times, in order to make my schedule flexible enough to accomplish what I was trying to achieve with my kids.  Financially speaking, it made my life interesting but God always provided to the point where the numbers didn't always add up but the bills were always paid!
3. About ten years ago, in the aftermath of true heartbreak, I asked God to make it abundantly and irrefutably clear who the man was that he intended for me.  There were times when I lost sight of that request and tried to make certain men fit the mold I had made up for the man I thought I wanted.  When Andy and I met, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt on our second date that this was the man God made for me.
4. During my first few years of college, I knew God was calling me to seminary and dedicated that decision to him. Sixteen years later, I am attending seminary in New Orleans!
3.  Fact: God has provided for our needs and our desires as a couple.
1. Time and again, we have been in a financial crisis this year and time and again, God has provided! It has come in many forms!
1. Academic scholarships
2. Private donations
3. Checks in the mail from friends and/or family at just the right time
4. A new job for Andy only THREE DAYS after he was unexpectedly fired
5. Unexpected income
2. Most importantly to us, God has provided a uniquely strong bond in our marriage! We constantly marvel at how in-sync our minds and hearts are despite the shortness of our courtship and our newlywed status. It is more often than not that we find ourselves thinking the same thing about a situation and we are tickled by it when one voices the very thoughts of the other.  This is not something we take lightly! We revel in the harmony it has created and the further cementing of our bond each time it happens.

When the weight of this evidence weighs on my mind, it is difficult to remain in a state of fear of how we are going to survive month to month. And yet, there have been times where we have still felt like this is never going to end! We are never going to get ahead. We are always going to be one step behind!

SO....Why am I telling you all of this! Well, I got a phone call today in response to an email to the Business Office.  I had requested our balance so that Andy and I could work out a payment plan to get us back on track to enable me to become a full-time student again by the spring.  The gentleman explained that an unexpected donation had been posted to our account from Financial Aid on Friday that set our account square!  TRANSLATION: we are no longer in debt to the seminary; we can stay in New Orleans; I can take a full load for the Spring semester; I won't get behind in my studies!

Talk about Jehovah Jireh!  God the Provider comes through again like a CHAMP!  I am humbled again and find my heart as well as my mind grateful for God's continued provision in my life.  I am also thankful to our friends and family who have been praying us through this time!  In addition to this gift, Andy made his quota for the month of November last week AND my Pampered Chef business had a GREAT kick-start last week!

         "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." - Philippians 4:4-9

This passage  has always had great significance in my life and rings true, even tonight.  No matter WHAT is going on in your life, present it to God.  He already knows what's going on, but he wants you to pour your heart out to him in the good and the bad times.  It doesn't necessarily mean he'll fix it or that he'll fix it right away.  What it does mean is that he hears you and will give you peace when you surrender it to him. He's done it before and he'll do it again because HE IS WHO HE SAYS HE IS! And because of that, you can rest assure that he's got you...in all things, HE'S GOT YOU!

AMEN and AMEN!!!