Provision

I have had pastors and Sunday school teachers who repeatedly taught me that it is good to memorize scripture for a number of reasons. One of these reasons is to be ready when hard times come. When we can recite scripture to speak to our problems, we receive strength to endure the difficulties. This is actually an example of faith in action.

So when I had one of these experiences, I found scripture to be very reassuring.

On Wednesday, December 13, 2000, as I was cooking dinner, I hoped that my husband would get home in time to babysit our children so that I could attend Wednesday night church service. I heard a knock at the door. When I answered the door, I found a friend standing in front of me with the news that my husband Greg, had been in a car accident. He had accidentally run his truck into a tree on a dirt road near her house. She told me that he was not seriously hurt, but only banged up a little. For precaution, he had been transported to the hospital by ambulance. He would be ok, but he would need me to go to the hospital to get him. His truck was totaled.

I turned off supper, made quick arrangements for a babysitter for my 3 boys, and drove to the hospital. He was laying on a table in the emergency room screaming in pain, and telling me that he was convinced that his hip was broken. He was right.

Because of internal bleeding, the hospital in our hometown transferred him to Sacred Heart Hospital, in Pensacola, Florida. He had emergency surgery there to realign his leg into the hip socket and was put into traction. The Dr. diagnosed him as having an acetabular fracture of the hip. (His hip socket was crushed.) In addition, he would need a surgery that could be done at only 5 different places in the country. One of these was Tulane Hospital in New Orleans, La. (pre-Katrina).


After his surgery that night, he lay in the bed, in pain and worrying about the consequences of his wreck: he wouldn't be able to work for quite a while, we would have extra Dr. bills, how would we pay bills without him working?

Me, I had a different outlook. I was thankful that he wasn't killed, wasn't hurt worse, and that the kids weren't with him at the time of the accident. I knew that with God's help, we would find a way.


He would say, "How are we going to pay our bills?"

My response was, "My God shall supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory, in Christ Jesus. I am not going to worry. I am just going to trust God. He will take care of us." (This scripture is from Philippians 4:19)

I didn't just speak the scripture. I believed that it was true. Several times that night, he repeated his worries. And I would repeat this scripture back to him.

Four days later, Greg was transferred to Tulane Hospital. Three days after that, he was in a 13 hour surgery where his hip was repaired.


In the meantime, I was driving back and forth from my home in Brewton, Alabama to New Orleans, after getting people to keep my children while I was gone. When I returned home, I worked. Then, I went back to New Orleans to see Greg. This was a very stressful, hectic time for our family. Not only that, but because of the traveling, money became very tight.

One day, I received a phone call from a member of my church. She wanted to do something special for our family because she knew that we were having a difficult time. She and her husband wanted to buy us some boxes of food from the Angel food ministries, and she wanted to know if I would mind if she did this. Some people wouldn't accept help and she didn't want to offend me in any way, but they wanted to do something to help us. I accepted her very gracious offer.

A few days later, my friends arrived with the food boxes. After they left, I began to put the groceries away and then sat down to take a break. As I looked on the side of the boxes, I saw that there was writing on the side of the box. I could not begin what I saw as I began to read the following: "My God shall supply all of your needs according to his riches in glory, in Christ Jesus." I laughed, as I thought about this. My heart lept with joy.

I had received my affirmation that in spite our our dire circumstances, God would provide. He does so through other believers. And He is always faithful to keep his word to us. Amen.