Everything she had

I often think about the story of the widow putting in her only two coins to the temple treasury in Luke 21:1-4. There’s been many times where I’ve looked into my purse and that’s all the money I might have until the following week. When I was relatively new to formal church worship God gently showed me that I could have faith in him providing for us. I remember looking into my purse and seeing two pounds, that’s all I had until Monday, I prayed and popped the money into the collection envelope, sealed it up and gave it in during the offertory.

On the way back I realised we needed bread for lunch……maybe I had made a mistake donating the money, I have hungry children and no sandwiches. When we got home I checked my bag for any spare change, nothing could be found. Suddenly I got a shout from my husband from upstairs, he’d found six pounds on top of the wardrobe…..we had no idea why it was up there but it solved our problem. 

Had God provided? Or were we just lucky?  I believe God had provided, maybe not by creating coins, but breathing words and instructions to my husband to go and look there. My husband says he put things up there out of his pockets occasionally but had not done for a while, perhaps God knew the money was there and provided a nudge. 
It was a big moment for me, a moment where prayer and answer came together and saved the day. God is still doing that in my life today, at moments of dispair he listens and provides, not by a magic wand but by the strength he gives me to complete a task, the courage to ask difficult questions, the instructions to find my way around problems, a person he brings to help me, his endless love showing me that if I do get things wrong or do silly things that his love will not fail me. He is always waiting for me with his arms outstretched as I run back towards him and land on my knees.

This lesson of trust in God moves with me daily, my anguish and worry is poured out in prayer, my insecurities and insufficiency are washed away in his life giving water. We can all try to give everything we have to God and not by handing over lots of money but by giving ourselves, our everything  to him in prayer, and by doing that our relationship, our trust, and our love over spills towards him and he will provide, he will provide for us all.