Whatever our need, God knows about it. He has plans already made as to how He will meet those needs, often in unexpected ways.
When I was about six years old, my dad was studying to be a minister in a Bible school in Framingham, Massachusetts. In addition to his classwork, he managed to earn just enough to support our family of five. Though money was tight, we were occasionally able to visit our grandparents back in upstate New York.
On one particular visit, my parents attended a special missions service at our grandparent’s church. They planned to return to Framingham the next day. The missionary who spoke that evening shared about the need for funds to reach people who had never heard about Jesus’ love for them. The message touched Dad’s heart, and he felt an urging to put some money in the offering plate. He had only five dollars left in his wallet, and was reluctant to put that in. Dad consulted with my mom, and she said, “Let’s do it.” Even though they weren’t sure if they’d have enough money for the trip home, they both wanted to step out in faith and give what they felt God was asking them to give.
After the service, a friend, Bob Auckland, greeted my Dad with a handshake. Dad felt something pressed into his hand. It was fifty dollars! That was a lot of money back then! Dad thanked Bob with a big smile, realizing with gratitude that God had just supplied their need in this unexpected way. Little did he know what was ahead.
The next day, after some extra hugs, we said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa and climbed into our car for the long drive back to Massachusetts. (This was before the days of four-lane highways, and electronic devices for entertaining bored kids in the backseat.)
On the way home, we had a flat tire. It turned out that Dad needed to replace the tire and buy a new jack as well. The fifty dollars in his pocket was enough to pay for both tire and jack plus gas. Dad still had money left to buy enough food to last until payday. God knew ahead what our family would need. And God had whispered His plan to a family friend who was glad to be part of the unexpected gift.
“Do not worry saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’…Your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:31-33).
Praise God!