In her classic work of spiritual literature, "The Interior Castle," St. Teresa of Avila explains that God's providence is often revealed through His timing. Personally, I have come to the realization that God's timing often reflects the way we tend to do things, which in my case is very last minute.
Waiting for God is not easy. We live in a world of push button convenience, I can't tell you how impatient I get heating coffee in the microwave, or when it takes longer than two seconds to load a webpage. In a lot of ways, we have been conditioned to rush through life. Haste makes waste, goes the old adage. This is true for any endeavor, whether carpentry or accounting. In fact, one can also say that a rushed life is a wasted life.
One of the results of this perceived urgency is that it makes waiting for God that much harder. It is easier to reach for the credit card to make purchases and waiting for God to provide either the resources, or even something better.
The reality is, waiting is exactly what we are called to do.
Living according to scriptural financial principles involves a surrendering to God and trusting that He knows what you need more than you do. He also knows when you will need it. I remember reading Kimberly Hahn quoting her father in "Rome Sweet Home" that Jesus is either the Lord of your entire life, or He is not. This is true for every aspect of your life, whether it is in the area of fertility, or finances. As I have said before, you either believe in God, or you don't. If you do believe in God, then you either trust Him, or you don't.
One of my favorite scenes in Return of the Jedi is when Lando and Nien Nunb are flying the Millennium Falcon during the Battle of Endor. Just after they take out the main generator they fly out at breakneck speed through the exploding Death Star as the flames are overtaking them.
I can personally say that waiting for God's timing, while living on a single income can be like flying the Millennium Falcon out of the Death Star. There have been times when we were down to our last dollar, and payday was still a week away, when we have received financial blessings in ways that can only be described as God's timing. It takes courage to wait for the Lord, not just patience.
There are tons of scriptural passages that give examples of God's provision...."Ask and you shall receive" (Mt 7: 7-8) "Do not worry" (Lk 12: 22-31) but my personal favorite is an obscure passage found in the Gospel according to Matthew, Chapter 17 Verses 24 through 27. Allow me to paraphrase:
Tax collector: HEY YOU! Do you think talk is cheap? You guys gotta pay the temple tax!
Peter: ummm....let me check with the Boss... Uhh Jay Cee? The guy says we gotta pay some sort of temple tax.
Jesus: Dude, do kings make their own kids pay taxes? I don't think so. But just so this guy doesn't get all uptight about it, go down to the water, throw in a fishing line, and you will catch a fish, in its mouth you will find a gold coin. Give it to the guy and let him keep the change.
How cool is THAT??
TiPSI Dad
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