Remember the Miracles
I was elated and nervous after landing my new job at the National Youth Department for the Assemblies of God church fellowship in Springfield, Missouri in the winter of 2006. I knew that this was where God wanted me to work for that transitional season of my life after college, but my first paycheck would be given to me three weeks after I started and my cash was running low.
Two weeks after starting the new job, I began to worry because my rent was coming due along with several others bills and I only had $20 left in my bank account. How was I going to fill up my gas tank to get to work, eat and pay my bills for the next week?
I remember getting up early in the morning that second week of my job and laying flat on the floor of my bedroom praying for God to do a miracle in my life and help me to pay my bills. I remembered a saying that my college pastor would always say, "When your back is up against a wall, you have to get on the floor, suck carpet and pray till you hear God's voice."
That's exactly what I did that morning. I needed a miracle and sought God with all my might to see it happen. I needed exactly $485 to pay my bills in the next three days. I didn't want to ask my parents for help; I wanted to see the powerful hand of my Heavenly Father come through for me. I was an adult and wanted to see what my own faith could do.
So, I got off the floor and went to work with expectancy trying not to look at my fuel gage in my car that was now on empty. I had to go to a women's Bible study at my church after work that day and debated whether I should go because I had no gas in my car and no money to buy any food for dinner. But, the Lord told me to go and keep my commitment. So, I went to my Bible study in which I was the youngest female there. After we finished the lesson, everyone went around sharing prayer requests that the group could pray for together. I just said that I had an unspoken prayer request and that was it. I didn't feel like sharing the details. After we got done praying and everyone was leaving to go home, the oldest woman in the group came up to me and said, "Jenny, I don't know what you're going through but God told me today before I came to Bible study to give you this." She grabbed my hand and stuck a twenty dollar bill in it and a check for $200. Tears welled up in my eyes as I hugged her and thanked her. The Lord had provided money for my gas tank and half of what I needed, but it still wasn't going to pay all my bills.
The next morning while at work I got a call from my old job saying that they had an envelope for me that I needed to come pick up. So, I drove over to my old television production office during my lunch break and picked up the envelope that had a $148 reimbursement check in it. Wow. I was floored that God was slowly inching me towards the goal of $485, but I was still a bit worried that it wouldn't be enough.
That evening, a friend of mine needed to go to the mall to pick up something for an event she was attending, but she didn't own a car. So, she called and asked if I could take her. The last place I ever want to go when I don't have money is the mall! Ugh. But, I swallowed my self-pity and decided to help her out. As we were driving back to her place after the mall, she told me, "Jenny, thank you so much for taking me to the mall. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. I feel like God told me to give you this today and I don't want you to refuse it." She stuck out her hand and gave me $100. Tears trickled down my cheeks as she gave me a hug and thanked me.
Though it didn't happen the way I had expected it to, God answered my prayers in 24-hours to pay for my bills of exactly $485 plus $20 for gas. I sat in my apartment that night and cried with tears of joy and wonder knowing that the God who keeps the world spinning and all the other facets of our existence going, truly cared about my needs and wanted me to see His miraculous hand at work.
I wanted to share this amazing story with you today because God brought it back to my mind this week reminding me that I should never forget the miracles He has done in my life and I should always help others even in my own desperate need because miracles are fuel for the fire of faith in my heart. If I forget these wondrous testimonies, then my mind gets plagued with doubts and wonders if God will really do a miracle again. But, if I remember the miracles, then He is joyfully ready to do it again in even greater ways today.
I love this gentle reminder from Jesus: "So don't worry about these things, saying 'What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?' 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 6:31-33 NLT).
What miracles have you witnessed in your own life? What miracles are you praying for in your life today?
