The way God works in our lives is almost too high to grasp at times; the reasoning, the twist and turns that life takes, the route adjustments, the why. Stacy and I had such a situation arise yesterday; to properly explain the situation though I have to go back six months.
Six months ago we led a small group that did the study “Experiencing God”, God began to profoundly speak to me during this time and tell me that it was time for college. I was very hesitant towards this call to school as many of you know I have tried school a couple of times, and God always shut the door. We talked about which school and we looked at Baptist schools all over the nation, and one non-Baptist school, Toccoa Falls College. We looked primarily at Baptist schools because being a Southern Baptist North American Board Home Missionary for the last three years school would be a lot cheaper at some institutions. We looked at Toccoa because when we were both in high school we both knew God was telling us that we would be a part of the school someday. I tried to go to Toccoa once before, but was only offered $1000 in financial aid, and many other doors shut. We knew in our hearts that we were trying to force it so we prayed and knew we were supposed to wait. After living in Toccoa for two years God called us to Tucson, AZ. A major detour in the plan, but God had His reason and purpose for this and in a word, it was to transform us in every area of our lives; more on that in another blog.
As we looked at college I asked for information from five to six schools. About a week to ten days later we got a phone call, a letter, and an e-mail from the Falls all in the same day. It was months before we heard from any of the other schools. In fact all the details had been worked out with the Falls by the time anyone else ever said hello. They passed a new rule allowing for all 15 of my online credit ours to be transferred to the campus, which of course was huge. I received a letter of financial aid this time offering me $10,000 in financial aid scholarships and grants. We got into married student housing which we were told would not happen, $330 a month in rent plus water and trash. God was confirming what he had already confirmed in our hearts through Prayer, His Word, and His People.
As we looked at our budget we saw that we could get by on just Stacy working while I started school if we could pay off the car…one problem, we owed $8000. Since we didn’t have an extra eight grand lying around we began to pray that God would help us pay off the last $8000 that we owed on the car through miraculous provision. We began to pray this prayer three months ago, through miraculous provision and providing Stacy with a job that had to meet very strict guidelines because of my work schedule in a time nobody was hiring God has multiplied the $400 payment we were making and after our next payment in the next week we will only owe $1,300. In comes the next turn.
God was beginning to put it on my heart that He was going to show Himself as we went to pay off the rest of the car, and sure enough He has set up the situation to show if there was any doubt, that He did it all. Last week Stacy’s work went under new management. She went to work Monday and they said she had to now work 40 hrs a week, come in earlier (which would have crossed my work schedule, and they could switch her day off any week as they saw fit, not allowing us a day off together. After a night of praying we knew that God would not have us sacrifice our family at the whim of a retail outlet. So she went into the outlet today talked to them, they said they would not work with her, so very quickly this became her last day. I don’t have a clue where that last $1,300 is going to come from. I know we have to pay off the car to make our budget work, especially with moving expenses coming up. There is something I do know with more certainty then that though…God knew this was coming, and to be honest I have total peace about the situation because I know if God has provided $6,700 in three months He is going to provide the last $1,300!!! I share all this so that you can share in the joy and blessing of praising God for what He has already done and praying with us and watching God work a miracle. When God throws a curveball in there watch out, He’s about to show Himself and let you know once again just exactly who He is!
