This has become something of a mantra for me growing up, and I’ll be honest, I don’t know its exact origin. My guess would be Philippians 4:19 which says “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”, or Psalm 23:1 “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.”, but feel free to correct me! For me it is something that Irish Mammies say in tough times when one can’t see a way out of a financial situation. The faith behind this little statement though is what gives it its power.
I have said in another post that I am on a very limited income. Anything outside of the norm must be scrimped and saved for and that’s just the way things are. I know that when something really important comes along, God will provide for that need, if He sees fit. If He deems it unnecessary, we live and learn and move on. Now I usually apply this to things like spontaneously required doctor’s appointments, or emergency situations where I discover there’s no foo in the flat and I have nothing to eat. In these cases, God has always provided for me. I have never gone hungry, or been left in ill health. However for more frivolous things it becomes more complex.
The youth group that I work with are performing in a Christian Concert in Dublin tomorrow evening, and I had been trying to put by a little each week for the cost of the ticket but I just couldn’t manage to put it all together. The tickets cost €20 and that’s what it costs to fuel my car for a whole week… It’s hard to justify spending on things like that as a student.
Anyway, I was driving home from Dublin yesterday listening to my favourite radio station Spirit Radio, and I was resigning myself to the fact that I just wouldn’t be able to go. I was trying to think of a way to tell the girls (Ci’s sisters are performing and I was on my way to visit them) that I would have to miss their big night. I started to get a bit upset by this, as I didn’t want to let anyone down. I was wiping away the first few disappointed tears when I heard an ad for the concert on the radio. My first reaction was ‘well that’s just depressing’ and I was about to switch the radio off and wallow in my own self-pity, when the presenter starting talking about a giveaway they were doing that very day. I pulled the car over into the hard shoulder (not the safest move in hindsight) and sent in my text entry for this pair of tickets.
I drove the rest of the way home knowing that if I was supposed to go to that concert, that this surely was God’s way of providing. This gave me a sense of peace and I immediately dismissed the thoughts of disappointment I had had earlier. As I approached the village where I live the presenter announced the winner for that hour and… it wasn’t me. At that moment I said aloud to God, ‘Father thank you for providing me with peace here.’ It is easy to praise God when things are going well, but I am learning that I have to praise God for the decisions He makes for me, whether I feel delighted about it in the moment or not. I am far from perfect and of course I was a wee bit disappointed that I didn’t win the tickets but I could say in that moment that it was not God’s will, so I let it go.
I broke the news to the girls and they were so sweet, saying they would do a private rendition for me next weekend and not to worry. After the obligatory cup of tea and catch up with Mammy D, I sat down with one of the girls to do a bit of study with her for school.
Mid way through the lesson, my phone rang… Go on guess who it was! It was Áine from Spirit Radio telling me I was their winner for that hour and that there would be tickets at the box office for me! Explain that, if it’s not divine intervention?
I am thrilled that I get to see my girlies in the concert and as I have the extra ticket, their big bro is coming with me to support them. I’m sure the girls are going to raise the roof, along with all the other kids from the youth group and the schools around the country.
I cannot say for sure, but my feeling is that had I not been thankful to God for His will, I wouldn’t have won the tickets. I always say:
~Positive prayer yields positive results~
but what do you think? How has God provided for you? I would love to hear your stories.
-Katie
Christian Cailín 