Remembering His Works

"At just the right moment, I heard you. At just the right moment, I stepped in and helped you." ~God


Isn't it funny that God's just-right moments in our lives are usually after panic hits? Okay, not funny. Just ironic, and probably so we learn that panicking really isn't necessary. After all, God hasn't given us a spirit of fear, and panic is by definition intense, sudden fear because we just figured out things have spiraled completely out of our control. As if we ever had control to begin with. But that's just the point. We have to get past trying to feel in control.


One way that we dissolve fear and release faith in the present is by reviewing God's awesome deeds in the past. We can begin with the amazing miracles recorded in the Bible then read powerful stories recorded by people of faith throughout history. And then we can get closer to events in our generation and feel our faith revived.


But I think one of the most powerful ways to stir faith is to look at what God has done for us in our own lives. When we start recounting our moments of panic and need and how God stepped in and met us, then our grip renews upon our sword of faith and we once again take a warrior's stance with an unwavering inner conviction: I know the Almighty God fights for me.


After my divorce, I lived with my parents for three years. So did my four children. Thank God for big basements and overflowing grace. The arrangement worked very well and gave me a nest of incredible love and security. I began healing but as the kids grew, the need for our own place became pressing to the point of desperate urgency. I had to move, but I didn't have my own vehicle, I was still attending college, and had used up all my savings.


I applied to government housing and began looking for a minivan. Just attempting to get a reliable vehicle with my limited loan money was taxing on my emotional reserve, but I did my research and God supplied a small minivan--just the right size for a short mom with skinny kids. Great. I was set. I would move out as soon as a house opened up, but the weeks ticked past, each one increasing in tension and stress. Time had run out.


Tears pouring down my face, I called the housing office and said I was willing to take an apartment in an area of town known for drugs. But I couldn't stay put any longer and if I was going to be the mom I needed to be for my kids, I had to take that leap of faith into the dark and trust that Jesus would be the Bodyguard who surrounded the kids, just like He'd promised to always be.


The next day, I saw an advertisement for an apartment that was also subsidized in a different area of town. I applied and within a couple days, I was approved. I was very relieved. Even though the coin-op laundry room was up three flights of stairs, at least we'd be in a much better neighborhood. I signed the papers even though I couldn't see the apartment for two days.


Two hours later, the first housing office called me. They had a four-bedroom, two-bathroom unit open just two blocks from the three-bedroom, one-bath apartment I had just paid a deposit on. I swallowed. I should keep my word, shouldn't I? But the four-bedroom had its own laundry hookups. I asked if I could go look and have 24 hours to decide. The manager said yes, and I stepped into a beautiful, newly remodeled two-story unit with a huge kitchen and tons of space.


I stood, looking around, and as I walked through every room, the certainty that God wasn't playing a joke but truly blessing me bubbled up stronger and stronger. I told the manager I'd take the apartment then began praying for God to return my deposit. He did. The other manager said she totally understood how much having my own laundry hook up meant to me, seeing as I had four young kids and did laundry every day.


The kids and I moved into our new, wonderful apartment with its own front and back doors, small patio, and shared grassy yard where the kids could safely play with other neighbor children. Hallelujah! Within just three days, God turned panic to absolute blessing because I stepped out in faith that He would provide. He would bless and protect me and my children. It was a miracle. A heart-stopping, joy-bursting miracle.


Could this experience be placed under the label of 'coincidence'? I don't think so. I've learned we can't worship luck and worship God at the same time. I choose to give all the glory to my Creator who knows what my kids and I need to thrive and rejoice in life. Jesus gave us an apartment we shouldn't have received. We weren't far enough up on the waiting list for the nicer areas of town. But we got the key.


He provided the washer and dryer too, along with all the furniture we needed. Many of the items were completely free, a few were obtained at amazing deals. Jesus watches over us. He delights to fill our homes with good things, and when we're looking to Him as the Source, He loves to show us exactly what He can do: He pours out unreserved blessings of lavish grace.