Can I just brag on God for a minute guys?

About a month ago I got a text from my husband saying that he would be home early because he had just lost his job. At the beginning of the week. In the middle of a pay period. Which meant his check was going to be half of what it normally would be and we had all of our big bills due and not enough money to cover everything AND keep us fed.

But God.

In His perfect timing we got a severance check right when we needed it and it helped give us a cushion to pay all our bills and be able to feed our kids and have a little leftover to pay the bills the next month. Vince was out of work for a total of 10 days before he found new employment. It isn’t the most perfect fit as he has no benefits or paid time off, but luckily during the summer there aren’t a lot of holidays. (Doesn’t God have the best timing?) and it seems to be where God needs him for now. We are still praying for a better opportunity but are grateful for what we have and are open to what God has for us to learn or do, which largely seems to be learning to rely on Him for everything.

Lately we have had several opportunities to hear God ask, “Do you trust me?” One such case of this is regarding the amount that we tithe to our church. Vince has felt for a long time like we needed to increase the amount to actually line up with 10% of our income and that we needed to also give that same percentage from the severance package he received. I dug in a bit because we would “feel it” and “what if something happens?” And then every time I turned around it seemed like everyone (two different sermons, the word of the day on k-love, a friend, a devotion I was reading…) was reminding me of the verse in Matthew where Jesus talks about the Father providing for the birds of the air and for the flowers and how much more does He care for us and again I heard God say, “Do you trust me?” So I agreed, admittedly quite hesitantly that we needed to increase our tithe because when the smartest being in the entire universe asks you to trust Him, you kind of have to do it. 

And friends, He sees our needs and He will provide for them, especially when we are faithful in doing what He asks us to do which at the core is to trust Him, for everything.

Because God knows me and wants to be sure I know He’s got us, I got confirmation of His faithfulness and His provision and His perfect timing. And I’d like to share the story just in case someone else might need the encouragement.

This afternoon I was pouring over grocery ads and trying to plan meals and stretch the buck for the next several weeks. Our first paycheck from Vince’s new job doesn’t come in until June 7th, and our last one was the severance check and most of our bills are due before we get paid next and I was feeling a little stressed. Then, unexpectedly,  a car pulls up in our driveway. It was a dear friend dropping by an envelope with a monetary gift. It turns out that they had been blessed a little more than they needed and after praying about what to do with the extra money, they determined they should share some of it with us. While my friend was still here, the mailman dropped off the mail which included an envelope with no return address and a note saying whomever sent it thinks about us often and hopes the gift card to a nearby grocery store helps us out.

Guys!! the two gifts equal my grocery budget!!!! And they arrived while I was trying to figure out how to buy groceries!!! Whaaat??!!?? We are beyond blessed by the generosity of God’s kingdom here on Earth and we are excited to see how God guides us to pay it forward because we are rising to His challenge to trust Him in all things.

When you go all in for God, He goes all in for you and that is where we find freedom and joy even in the midst of uncertainty.