June 14, 2004

[Rev. Doc]

God's Provision

"And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:19

We spend an ample amount of our time worrying about how to make ends meet. We wonder how we will make it from paycheck to paycheck. After all, if we can't supply for our daily needs in life who will? We can take a lesson from those around the world whose very existence could not be accredited to self, but a total dependence on God.

A few years ago, an SDA pastor in Romania was arrested by the police because of his Christian activities. When he was arrested and taken to jail, the jailer taunted him about his belief in God.

Rubbing his stomach the jailer said, Can your God take good care of you like the State takes care of me? The pastor reassured the jailer that his God could take care of him. "Oh! So you think your God can take care of you as well as the State takes care of me?" The Pastor said yes. "OK," the jailer said. "I will give you only water for the next 4 days and we will see how well your God takes care of you."

The Pastor was taken to a cell and the door was locked. The Pastor began to pray very earnestly and fervently to God for his protection and needs. He told God that he was his servant and he did not know how God would provide for his needs but he knew that God would take care of him. As he was praying he heard a cat meow and when he opened his eyes he saw a cat just outside the cell with a slice of bread in its mouth. He then reached through the cell and took the bread from the cat's mouth.

Next he took and broke off the piece which the cat had in its mouth and put that in his pocket and then ate the bread. Each morning and evening for the following four days at the same time the cat came bringing the bread in its mouth.

On the fourth day the jailer returned expecting to find a very hungry man. "Well," the jailer said, "look at how well the State has taken care of me and how has your God taken care of you?" "Oh!" the pastor replied, rubbing his stomach, "God has taken good care of me also." The jailer, being curious, asked how that was done. "Well," the Pastor said, "twice a day God sent a cat with a piece of bread in its mouth for me."

As he was speaking the cat meowed and as the jailer looked down he saw the cat with the bread in its mouth. "That is my house cat bringing my bread from my table," said the surprised jailer. "Yes, surely your God did take care of you."

Prayer: Ask God to strengthen your faith and to rely totally upon Him in all areas of your life.

"Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning... He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all... Depend on it, God's work done in God's way will never lack God's supply." ~From the journal of missionary Hudson Taylor

[Spirit_Wolf8356]

God has answered my needs in quite a few ways lately, that really made me happy. ^_^ It's just awesome when a small thing like my headaches go away after praying. I've seen Him provide for my big needs too, and He never ceases to amaze me.