I am writing this one for a friend of mine who is going through some financial hardship. But all of us at one time or another have gone through financial hard times, especially now with this economy. The truth of it is that God has always got our back. He will be there to provide what we need when we need it. I know finances has always caused me stress. Why does it get to us like nothing else? My friend pointed out that it is based on greed, and I know she is right. Our pastor has been preaching on money lately and it has really made me realize that nothing I have is mine. It’s all God’s and we are just stewards of it. So, why should I worry about something that isn’t mine? God will take care of us, he owns all the money in the world, so He certainly has the resources to solve my financial issues. However we might have to give up some worldly stuff in the process. God will take care of our needs, and even sometimes our wants, but usually not. But we will realize in the process that we didn’t need that stuff anyway. I wanted to share a few stories about how God has recently provided for us and hopefully that will be an encouragement to others.

The other day we were at IKEA – we live there practically, but with free childcare and cheap food, it’s right up our alley. So we were sitting at the table about to enjoy our cheap food and we were praying as we always do. Our kids then went to sit in a children’s area not too far away where they were showing a movie. There were a lot of people and our kids happened to get the last little table. Another family came in with three small children. The kids needed a place to sit so Glenn had our boys move over so the kids could share a table with ours. This apparently opened the door for the parents to come over to us and start a conversation about adoption. With a transracial family we get questions about adoption a lot. So, we began talking with them and they said they were interested in adoption. They had noticed us praying and asked if we were Christians and we said yes. We then went our separate ways after mentioning we were there to buy a crib for our youngest son. Later we were in the “As-is” section, a favorite place for us, when the couple found us again. They handed us a check and said the they felt like the Lord had told them to give this to us. We looked at the check and it was the exact amount we needed to buy our crib. We were shocked to say the least. God shows up in the strangest ways sometimes and in times when you don’t expect it.

On another occasion, we had received a generous financial gift from a family member. We prayed about what to do with the money and we felt led to use some of it to help a friend who was in need. It was a sacrifice for us, as we could have used that money for many things, but we felt this was what God wanted. To our suprise, the same day that we gave that money to our friend we received another unexpected check for the exact amount we had given. Pretty awesome. You cannot outgive God.

I tell these stories to testify of what God has done in our lives and hopefully to encourage others that God will show up when you need soemthing. Trust in Him and be obedient to Him as he leads you. I am not suggesting that God is just there to hand out cash whenever we need some, but He cares for us and He will provide for our needs if we trust in Him. We will not be without hardships, but it’s in those times that we can freak out and be anxious or we can choose to trust that God has it under control. Remember the money is not yours anyway, it’s His, so why worry about something that isn’t yours.