The doorbell rang and we all ran to see who had come to visit. There stood our neighbor, smiling as always, “Johnnie I don’t know what I was thinking, but when I laid out chicken for dinner I laid out too much. Will you guys come eat with us?”
Of course this was God’s provision, and I can recall that dinner as if I were sitting at the table at this moment! God provided for my family.
Through the years I’ve thought about this experience and believe it was a lesson in, not only provision, but God will use whoever is available and willing. You see our neighbor was not a Christian. She didn’t belong to our church, and didn’t believe things the way my parents did, although she loved God, she just went about it differently!
There were many others in the Christian world and in our circle that could have helped, but it was this lady who heard the call and responded! Many would shun her because she didn’t fit into the copasetic religious ideas, yet God used her!
If you study the book of Ezra you will read where the people decided to rebuild the temple and run into a few problems. The people of the land were not happy about the construction and made every attempt to hinder the work.
Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, And hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. (Ezra 4:4-6 KJV)
The last hope was King Darius! They decided to involve the King and surely he would put a stop to the construction, but this backfired! After researching he concluded that the temple should be built:
Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hindered. (Ezra 6:8 KJV)
Not only was the temple to be rebuilt but also it was to be financed by the king and no one was to stop the construction!
You see, the enemy attempted to come in and destroy God’s plan! He wanted the King to stop the procedure, but it didn’t work! God used the wealth of the wicked to accomplish his goal!
On that day when my family was hungry, God used a lady that was not a professing Christian to answer the call.
I believe God has people in the ‘Christian’ realm that He longs to use, but they do not have ears to hear, nevertheless, God will accomplish His will in your life! If He has called you He will provide! He may have to use the unsuspected! He may have to use the one outside of the proverbial box, but God will accomplish His will in Your life!
It is us who put the constraints on God! We are the ones who concoct ideas as to how something will come together, but it is God who will perform! Don’t be surprised as to where your help comes from! Don’t let the fact that the unsaved may be the conduit to getting the job done!
God will accomplish His purpose in your life! —Jounda LaMance
God of wonders, how You never cease to amaze us with Your wondrous works! Lord, help us to be usable! Help us to hear the call and be obedient to Your voice! Lord, we don’t want to be a hindrance to Your work!! We seek direction from You and understand that everything we have been blessed with comes directly from You, and You alone! In Your Mighty Name, AMEN!
No comments:
Post a Comment