Right On Time

Don’t worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes. Doesn’t life consist of more than food and clothing? . . . He will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern. Matthew 6:25, 33

Sometimes you’re sure about what God wants you to do, but movement seems slow and hard.

When we were called into the senior pastorate from youth ministry, there were about six months when Bill ran his own business. We didn’t have a large savings account, and when clients were late paying their bills, we were between a rock and a hard place. I put a list of “needs” on the refrigerator: grocery items, electric bill, gas for the car, etc. Each day I’d pray, “Give us each day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3, NIV). I realized that I expected God to provide ahead of time, instead of day by day. I was secure only if I could see money in the bank.

While I believe the Proverbs clearly teaches that the wise save for a rainy day, sometimes life’s storms last longer than the savings. I began to pray, “Lord, help me not feel the need, until it is a need.” And “God, give me faith to believe you will provide right on time.” Some days I prayed, “Just let me go one more day and trust your provision.” I prayed verses like Psalm 37:25: “I was young and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly forsaken, nor seen their children begging for bread.” And if things felt really tight, “Lord, help me make it one more hour, with my focus on you, not the need!”

I kept a journal of God’s provision. The unexpected job that paid cash, the diaper rebate check that bought milk the day we ran out, etc. God provided what I needed right on time.