God's Provision -- God's Way...

Through the past many years, God has provided for the needs of my family through a regular, fixed paycheck.  One that I didn't have to wonder about -- is it going to be there next month?  Yes, I understood that it was God who gave me talents and abilities, and it was God who provided the job itself.

However, that was easy to "trust", if you can call it that.

Over the last months, we have seen God provide in ways that may not be "miraculous", but still bear the mark of God's hand...

1. We expected my severance pay to end after the August 15th check, but then there was another on August 31st, and that check was significantly more money than all the rest had been.
2. Then, we got another check from the money that had been held out from the severance checks for the company stock purchase plan.
3. Then, our church gave us a love gift of significant size.  We have received other gifts as well.  Of course, any gift is significant size today!
4. Then, I was having trouble with getting unemployment benefits established, but this week, they resolved this for me and we will have unemployment for the past 8 weeks (on its way here in a debit card).
5. Then, the bank inspected our house, and we were at 97% complete (closer to 100% now), and we were significantly under budget.  The rest of the money which we borrowed is sitting in the bank, and we can apply it to our mortgage month by month as needed for probably close to a year.
6. We have had friends bring food over several times which has provided relief from time to time.
7. Because we used a geothermal HVAC system, our power company (cooperative) gave us a $1000 credit which will cover several months of our electric bill.
8. Because we were on the plan to keep our bill constant all year round with the utilities in Knoxville, and because we have not used nearly the amount of water or electricity there, we had been overpaying for quite some time, and so now we have a balance that will allow us to make NO payments -- hopefully until the house sells.  And, if it sells soon enough, then we will be refunded whatever is left.

There is obviously a limit to how long we will be able to rely on the money we have, but for the immediate future, God has provided.

I do not know exactly how long each of these things will last, and I don't know whether I will find an appropriate job in the next months.  In other words, I don't know what the future holds.  But, I do know that today, God has provided, and He has been gracious enough to show us that He has provided for at least some time into the future.

In addition to all of the monetary provision we have seen these last months, we have the knowledge and assurance that nothing can separate us from the love of God and no man (or anything) can "pluck" us from Our Heavenly Father's hand!  So much in this life is unknown and unsure!  Will He provide -- even in this life?  Yes, Matthew 6 tells us that His eye is on the sparrow, and so we know that He will take care of His children.  But, we do know that His ultimate provision will be the full and final deliverance from Sin and Death as we spend eternity Worshiping our Beloved Savior!

Thank you, Father, for your promise of provision!  Thank you for showing us your provision through these recent difficult months!  Most of all, thank you for your eternal incomprehensible grace -- that if we accept that Amazing Grace, we KNOW we will have eternity to praise you and thank you for all that we do not understand today!