It was the summer of 1989 when our family moved back to Idaho from Washington state. Our kids were teenagers. We had them in private school, which was expensive, and Jim was losing money in real estate. I was trying to fill in the gaps with temporary office jobs; but we came to a place where we were really desperate. There was not enough money coming in to buy food regularly, to pay the bills or keep our growing teenagers in school clothes that fit.
I remember looking up and saying, "I know you're up there God...what are you doing? You can see that we're struggling and that we are doing our best; but its never enough. How can I teach my children the value of prayer if I feel like you aren't answering mine?"
During the hardest times of life, of course, it's easiest to forget that the the loving and benevolent hand of our heavenly father is always gently upon us, through thick and thin; and that, in His time, all things work together for the good of those who love Him and live according to His purpose, as scripture tells us.
After that desperate prayer, I remember coming back from an evening walk with Jim around our little neighborhood. It was one of those warm summer nights where the Idaho sky was jam packed with twinkly stars. As we approached the driveway, I looked up and saw the Big Dipper tilted above our roof and I exclaimed, "Look Jim! There's the Big Dipper, pouring out blessings upon our little house!"
Not long after that, Jim and I prayerfully made a list of all the things we really needed that we couldn't possibly afford. We talked to the kids about it and, at our family prayer time, we submitted it to God petitioning Him to provide for needs that we were not able to meet.
Within a week, we received an unexpected sum of money that paid for everything on that list with enough left over to take our kids out to dinner, which we had not done for a long time. We were so excited we called the school and said we were picking up our kids early. We waited until we got home to tell them the news and then we gathered in our little circle and thanked God for His gracious answer to our prayers. It was something my children will never forget.
When we bought our next home, where we live currently, I didn't think about any of that, because we were doing fine and the stormy financial struggles were behind us. But one night I was standing on the deck, listening to the crickets and frogs and loving the beauty of the night, I turned in a circle to look at the stars; and there, above the peak of the roof, was the Big Dipper...still pouring out blessings on our house.
God is faithful. His promise that He will never leave us nor forsake us is absolutely true. Take heart, my weary friend in need. The Big Dipper is over your house, too, reminding you that God's plans for you are good. Look up tonight, and know that His blessings will never run out for you and His storehouse will never be empty.
Rebecca Bryan-Howell
10420 Meadowlark Drive
Boise, ID 83704
ibebecca@msn.com
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