It’s never been easy for me to ask others for help, especially when it comes to asking for money. After applying for the UMHB Israel-Jordan Study tour earlier this fall, I found myself in one of those uncomfortable situations of needing help. To attend the study tour, I would need to raise $4,800.
I am a college student. I eat PB&J at least four times a week...where am I going to get $4,800?
That was the question that had played in my head weeks before making the decision to apply for the trip, and even the weeks following my application. Firmly assured that the Lord was leading me to travel to Israel, I had reservations in relation to whether this trip could actually become a reality.
The financial requirements for attending…freaked me out.
Never before had I been in a position of needing to trust God for such a large amount of money. Still, I knew that taking the faith step to commit to this trip, without any idea how finances might be provided would prove to be an incredibly scary yet wonderful growing experience. And already it has!
The root of worry that has been a weakness in my life for many years has been magnified by the circumstances of raising support. But in spite of any disbelief, the Lord’s grace has been so evident to me every step of the way. He has calmed my heart with his Word.
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10
“You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways…Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be…Search me God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”
Psalm 139:1-3,16,23-24
While the thought of asking for money to support a trip to Israel unnerved me, I felt the Lord very clearly prompting me to write a support letter and send it – simply asking God, and telling His people.
One week after the letters hit the mail, I realized that the deadline for payments-due would be sooner than I had originally expected (November 5th). With less than $200 dollars received and the Friday deadline quickly approaching, my fears & worries multiplied rapidly. The anxiety that consumed my mind – all the unanswered questions of the frightening unknown – began to overshadow the knowledge of my heart that trusted God’s power. Yet, through the truth of his promises, the Lord graciously demonstrated His absolute sovereignty to me in the most loving way.
“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot disown himself.”
2 Timothy 2:13
Wednesday, November 3rd, I opened my mailbox to find the first support checks had arrived, all very significant amounts. I cried as I opened the envelopes. That same evening, my cell phone rang and a friend informed me that a large portion of money had been provided to them and they felt the Lord was urging them to give it away. My trip fund had been specifically placed on their heart, and another large check was in my hand by Thursday morning. Even more remarkable than the large amounts that had been given so generously was the incredible means by which it came to me. Through only six donors and in less than 48 hours, exactly $1600 was provided!
However, the amount I had received remained $2,900 short of what was needed to complete my trip payment to the travel agency. Claiming God's sovereignty, I asked for His grace to guard my heart, praying that I would find joy and contentment in whatever outcome might occur. I pleaded for His favor as I planned to contact the travel agency to inquire about options of paying late fees for sending my payment in after the deadline.
I prayed over the call for two days, and dialed the travel agency. The call was routed to two different employees and as I began to explain my request to the second person, I was stopped mid sentence by the sweet voice on the other end of the line...
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“Honey, you do NOT need to pay a late fee! We can work with you. Right now, we need to get your plane tickets purchased. How much can you pay right now?”
“I only have $1,600 today, but I can have the rest to you in…”
“Well, your tickets will cost about $1,580, so that works perfectly! How much longer do you need to get the rest?”
“Uh.......I don’t know…two weeks maybe? Will November 19th be okay...?”
“That’s just fine. Send your check for the plane tickets today and we’ll take the rest in two weeks!”
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I hung up, and all I could do was laugh out loud. Of course, God comes through!! Of course He does. Immediately, this verse came to mind:
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21
Ephesians 3:20-21
As the days ordained for me are written by the hand of God, so will every circumstance in each day be perfectly orchestrated and purposed by his divine sovereignty. He numbers the stars, He counts the hairs on our head, and He is powerful to move in the hearts of believers who write checks for a little college student *perfectly* equaling the amounts needed for a study trip…at the proper time they are needed. Nothing escapes His plan, no circumstance goes awry apart from God’s knowledge and every dollar is accounted for by Him and belongs to Him, to be used for His glory.
In the grand scheme of life, the financial needs for a study abroad trip might seem trivial. Yet the Lord of Lords finds joy to reveal himself to US…to ME…in circumstances like this! He knows our needs before we do. By claiming the knowledge of God’s sovereignty, there is an incredible joy to be found when a heart finds rest in the power of God.
