By: Cheri Fuller
"Worry is like a rocking chair.
It gives you something to do,
but it won’t get you anywhere."
Anonymous
God, Our Provider
How could Denise, a mother of five children, cope when their family business abruptly halted? The fifteen-year-old business provided stage technicians, lighting, and labor for concerts in the city’s main entertainment arena. Winters had always been a time of struggle for them because it was the slow season for concerts. But at 5:30 on a December Friday evening, they found out their entire contract for the year was canceled. Grocery money to feed their family of seven dwindled rapidly. Rent was due in a few days, and there was not enough money in their checking account to cover it. What kept her from dissolving in fear and despair?
“I’ve learned that the God who led the Israelites through the Red Sea is the same God who will provide and open up work for us,” Denise told me. “He hasn’t changed just because we’ve lost our job.” She survived and thrived by exchanging worry for wonder: Like walking through a museum, we’re walking through life. We don’t know what life is going to bring us just like we don’t know what’s around the corner in a museum. Instead of worrying, she learned to be expectant and wonder: What’s God going to do next?
Regardless of the balance in their checking account, she can get up each morning with a sense of anticipation and gratefulness because she knows God has a plan and He’s cared for them in past lean times. Like the day a bread truck stopped in front of their house, and the bread man asked, “Could you use some bread? I’ve got a lot left over today and I’ve finished my route. Take whatever you want.” Or the friend who called and needed home-school books, and Denise was able to sell used ones to her that day. The time neighbors down the road who prayed for their family then called saying they had an extra $250 in their savings account they wanted to give them.
Learning to “wonder” instead of worry has not been without challenge. Shortly after losing their yearly contract, they had to move out of their house because they couldn’t afford the rent. However, they were able to find a large trailer home that actually met their family needs better. Denise found part-time work cleaning houses with a friend, and her husband found a temporary job.
The joy and excitement in their hearts is something only God can give as they live with a sense that He is their Provider. A house, car, or job couldn’t give that kind of joy and they won’t remain. But God is going to be there no matter what.
© 2015 by Back to the Bible.
“From Replacing Worry for Wonder, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.”