While we were living in Tennessee, so Brad could get his bachelors degree in pastoral studies, money was often very tight and we had to learn to live on faith. Because we were in the country on a student visa, we couldn't work off campus. Brad had a job at campus safety and in the beginning was only bringing home $42. per week for the five of us to live on. But we had agreed that we would depend on God and whether we were living in abundance or want, we would never tell anyone of it, we would leave it up to God.
On one particular day there was no meat in the freezer for me to take out to prepare for supper. There was also no money to go and buy any. With three small kids to feed it was a worrisome thing for me. So I prayed. I prayed a very simple prayer something like this: "Lord, I know you are Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, so Lord you will have to provide something for supper please." and I left it at that.
In the afternoon I got a phone call from a man in our church who said he had a brother in law who worked at a local grocery store. He told me that when the processed meat, such as hot dogs and bologna were getting close to the expiry date, the store would throw it out. So the brother in law gave him a lot of it and his freezers were full and he was wondering if I would like to have some. He wondered if I had room in my freezer. I was thinking to myself 'do I have room? ha! I have nothing in there right now at all!'. But I didn't say anything like that. I just told him that I had room and I would love to have some.
Well he came over and blessed me with thirty pound packages of bologna, thirty-three pound packages of hot dogs and five or six (I can't remember) packages of Healthy Choice sausages. I had a full freezer, the kids were happy (what kid doesn't like processed meat??) and we had supper that night. We thanked the Lord for providing for us.
Over the next month I learned every possible recipie for hot dogs and bologna to the point that I was getting sick of it. So I prayed again something like this: "Lord, I hate to complain like the children of Israel did when you gave them manna, but Lord I'm so tired of hot dogs and bologna, could you please send something else for supper tonight? thank you and please forgive me for complaining."
About an hour after my prayer I began to hear loud noises coming from a nearby apartment. Soon one of my neighbours came to my door, looking very frustrated and disheveled. She said that her child was throwing a hissy fit because she wanted hot dogs for supper and they didn't have any. Her husband was in class and couldn't be reached to go and get some and she was wondering if maybe I had some she could borrow? (Oh yes, I still had the whole bottom of my freezer full of hot dogs!) So I gave her two packages and said that I had extra and she left happy. I was glad just to be able to bless someone and to help a mama not to have to endure a hissy fit.
Five minutes later there was knock on my door and she was back. She came to thank me and to bless me. She said they had got a deal on some boneless chicken breasts and would I take some as payment for the hot dogs? What a blessing! God had come through for us one more time! I traded hot dogs for boneless chicken!
Brad came home that night for supper expecting hot dogs again. He walked in the door and said "wow that must be a new recipie because those hot dogs smell like chicken." I quickly told him of how I had complained, asked for forgiveness and God blessed us. As we sat down to supper that night, we had a lot to be thankful for and as we said the blessing over the food the Lord had provided, we were all aware of it.
I'm thankful that our children got to grow up experiencing a faith in action. God always provided for us and continues to do so. He is our Provider. He is so good!
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