HE DID SAY......THAT HE WILL PROVIDE IN OUR...EVERY NEED....
Thru all these years of living in faith....there is not a moment, an event a situation where I can walk thru in my memory and say: "Oh there, here You did not provide, you did not come thru!" It was not always the provision I'd exspect or even sometimes wanted, but it always turned out to be what I needed or the best solution for a situation.
I remember sitting on the floor of our first newly rented house in Central Asia scraping many years of cooking fat of the kitchen floor with a screw driver. Tears were rolling down my cheeks as the scraping continued, I felt so overwhelmed with the job and the house with seventeen broken windows. I felt sorry for myself and the task at hand. A dear friend that lived in that part of the world for many years said, "Nothing cleans like a wet paint brush." Very true and wise words those. God provided a timely financial gift and we had all the floors in the house painted to my relieve and joy.
I also know and believe that He is not a Father that just give what His children want. Sometimes like I said the outcome is not always what we wanted or expected but what is the best for us or others. We lived without a washing machine for our first two years in CA. I was washing by hand and we were hauling wet washing in bags on a bicycle back and forth from friends home that had a washing machine. Then at last there were a new washing machine again for sale at a local store in our little town. I was so excited! Etienne went numerous times talking to the store owner about buying this the only washing machine for sale in weeks in all of town, and bargaining for a good price. Then a family with small children came to work with us and we were asked to give them the opportunity to buy the washing machine instead. Oh was I disappointed, I sulked in despair. But in His goodness He knew. Shortly another washing machine was for sale again and we were able to buy it. He did provide!
Oh and I remember the time as a newly wed when I was admiring and saving for a specific dress. I just did not have enough money to buy it. There was a friend of ours at the store the day I went, not knowing my situation she felt to give me some money as a gift. I had enough money for my dress marked down on sale that day and even had money left over.
But the actual heart of this writing is the story about the dumpster chair. It stands on the porch like a Light House shining forth the message of God's provision. This story is the one event that "Blew this duck from the pond." With new joy I have discovered and experienced the Lord knowing our hearts, our every need and desire. He specializes in meeting our deepest thoughts and needs.
When having my afternoon coffee break.... I like to sit on a comfortable chair with my feet up. The time in the day when all is silent and I think.....With our newly rented house came a wooden bench on the porch too. It's cute and durable but not so comfortable to sit... like I like to sit with a cup of coffee. For many weeks I would sit on it pondering how nice it would be to have a comfortable chair on the porch. My hopes became wishful prayers not really asking but hoping.....those thoughts that start with:"Wow Lord you know what would really be nice!" It was during this time of pondering those thoughts when a friend phoned and said there was a good sturdy wooden chair being thrown away standing at a dumpster not far from our home. The kids and I ran down the hill and carried our wooden dumpster chair home. It was sturdy and durable but had a neglected look... that had a story to tell of many winters and summers outside.
I was very grateful for the chair....but I would sit on the wooden hard frame of this chair having my coffee thinking..... how nice it would be to have two big stuffed bulky pillows to go on the chair. How nice it even would be if it was made from typical Turkish woven cloth.....
A few weeks after we got the chair Etienne was taking trash out to the dumpster close to our home. He excitedly called me to come outside and look what he had found. There on the chair were two big, thick, the perfect size pillows in Turkish woven cloth! It was just what I wanted! I was crying tears of joy.....not as much for the pillows but because of the revelation of a God that knows my every need. I felt so known and understood and loved by Him. He knitted me together in my mother's womb and it did not stop there. He sees my hearts cry, every thought racing thru my mind....every desire of my heart.....He specializes in meeting the needs of His children......
