In our forty-three years of marriage and ministry, Gaylon and I have known lean times and fat times, and I am not talking about weight. Let’s not go there! We’ve had times when our budget was unbearably tight, and we have had to pray down divine supply.  I am not in the camp that buys things, and then asks God to make the payments just because I want something. Wanting and needing are not the same.  I do, however, confess and live by Philippians 4:19 which says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”

One time when things were a bit tight, I was spending money on no extras. My dish towels were so thread-bare that I could almost read a book through them.  I decided to go to a local store to purchase dish towels.  As I was perusing the kitchen supply section, I saw a set of three dish towels that matched my kitchen. They weren’t the cheapest ones, but I knew they would last longer.  I picked up a package of three, and a couple of other items, and proceeded to the checkout.  After ringing up my order, the clerk told me how much I owed. I knew it wasn’t enough, and as much as I wanted a good deal, I wasn’t going to be dishonest about it. I looked at the sales receipt, and said to the worker, “I think there is a mistake, because the dish towels rang up for only a penny.”  She said, “Well, I can’t do nothin’ about it because that’s how the computer rang it up.”  Not wanting to do the wrong thing, I requested to see the manager. The manager looked at the receipt and said, “It’s probably wrong but we can’t do anything about it.”  My response was, “So, if I go back and get all you have, I can get them for a penny.”  She said, “Yes, you can.”  The cashier said, “Ain’t that a blessing.”  I smiled, went back and bought all the dish towels they had for a nickel, and I had “no dish-towel lack” for years!

I could tell many stories like that of the dish towels. I love it when I look at my life and say, “Ain’t that a blessing.”  I have seen God’s hand move in our behalf over and over and over. As a matter of fact,  for years we used to have a large “Manna Jar.”  In that jar were things like toy tires, or a picture of a dentist’s chair, and other replicas that had a story of the provision of God.  We would use that to talk about the supply of God.  It was a testimony to ourselves and others that God shows up in life when we desperately need Him.  We even kept a Manna Jar at our church, so the generations would have a memorial to this incredible God that we serve.

After forty-six years of serving God, I’ve known good financial times and bad financial times, but like David, I can testify, “Once I was young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for bread.” Psalm 37:25.

“Ain’t that a blessing!”