Testimonies

How God Provides the Unexpected

by Retha Groenewald 
11/28/13
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I had lost my job, my home and I was drowning in debt. I felt trapped, and the only answer I received from God was Matthew 6:25-33. It didn’t matter what I asked or what I prayed about, this was the answer I received for a period of 6 months.

What were inspirational words in the beginning became an irritation. I was at wits end and God wasn’t speaking to me, except with this passage.
 

Desperately, I read the passage one morning for the umpteenth time. What was it that I was missing? Obviously I’m not getting the message if this is the only answer God is giving me on all my questions.

My eyes fell on verses 32-33 and it was as if I was reading it in slow motion and for the first time, every word was accentuated.

These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. (Matthew 6:32–33(NLT)

Then I saw the revelation; it was there all the time.

For the first time in my life I understood what it meant that God was truly in control of my life. He knew. God knew I needed food to eat, clothes to wear and a place to sleep. He knew about my debt that was increasing daily. He knew. The Bible said so.

Secondly, these daily necessities dominated the thought process of unbelievers.  Shocked I realized it was dominating mine, but I wasn’t an unbeliever! I believed in God. Did I? The simplicity of it all dawned on me. If I believed in God, that He is my provider, that He is first in my life, then I should believe this passage.

It said that God knew! I wasn’t alone in this mess, God was with me and He knew what I needed. It also said that God will give me everything I needed. All I had to do was to stop worrying, and to start focusing on God and not on my problems.

When I lifted my eyes from the ground and looked up, focusing my eyes on God, my life changed. I slept peacefully every night in the midst of everything, because I knew God would take care of me.  And He did in a way that surpassed my wildest dreams.

One of the intercessors in our church approached me one Sunday after church. We knew of each other, but not well enough to claim friendship. I knew she was planning a trip to Israel in October that year. I was very interested to hear about her trip because going to Israel was one of the desires of my heart. She began telling me about her plans and that she wanted to go with a friend. She had asked God who should go with her.  God had told her the friend that should go with her was me. Before I could say anything she continued, “God said I must pay all your expenses, you only need to provide your spending money and money for food.”

We left for Israel on 4 October 2008 and spent 21 days in Israel. We also went to Petra. What an unexpected blessing!

That was not all how God provided. A week before we left for Israel, a friend of mine phoned me to share their news. Her husband was a very successful business man, who due to bad partnership choices lost everything. They had to start all over again. That day they received their first payment on the new contract and God had told them to bless me with a certain amount of money. She wanted my banking details. The amount of money that they blessed me with was the exact amount of debt I had.

I left for Israel, debt free, and spent 21 wonderful days traveling the country with a new friend.

How God provides is amazing and sometimes unexpected. Who knew someone with no money and a lot of debt would go to Israel all expenses paid and debt free?

God knew.

Quotes to Live By

• If God says so, it is so


• Don’t worry trust God


• God is my Provider


• God knows what I need more than I do

Inspirational Bible Verses

• Matthew 6:25-33


• John 6:27