numbers don't lie.

My small group is doing a Bible study by Beth Moore called Believing God.  In it, Beth challenges us to look for ways God is showing up in our lives.  She calls these moments “God-stops”.  I have loved recognizing these “God-stops” in my life, and acknowledging God for His presence and faithfulness.  So often we don’t see the things God is doing all around us.  But that doesn’t mean He isn’t there.

I had a God-stop today that literally stopped me in my tracks.  It forced me to acknowledge God’s hand in the situation and give Him the glory.  Allow me to rewind for a moment and explain. 

Everyone who works at Back2Back is a missionary and raises support so that the money given to the ministry goes towards orphan care, rather than salaries.  When I was offered my current position, the interim person filling in for the Child Sponsorship Program was leaving at the end of May.  That meant the ministry needed me to start right away.  The only problem was, I had only just started raising support to come on staff, and was nowhere close to being fully supported.  I was fairly certain God was calling me to this position, but in weak moments, I wondered if it was my desire or God’s.  I prayed fervently for God to guide me, and promised I would follow wherever He led.  Over and over I felt Him whispering, “Trust me.”  So I took the first step.  I quit my job.

For those of you who have been living under a rock the last few years, I’ve got news for you.  We’re in a recession.  Jobs aren’t exactly a dime a dozen.  I’m no fool, and I knew a stable job was something to be coveted.  But I also knew that faith is trusting what cannot be seen.  The Spirit’s prompting in my heart was so strong that I felt if I didn’t quit my job, I would be deliberately disobeying what God was telling me to do.  And saying no to God is not something I try to make a habit of.

When I met with Back2Back’s directors to discuss coming on staff, the goal they gave me was to have 50% of my support raised by July 31^st.  I remember when they first told me this number; they asked if I thought this was feasible, given the short time frame.  Since I had never raised support before, I nodded my head confidently, believing that if that was what I needed to do, God would come through.  Truthfully though, I had no idea if this was a lofty goal or one of those ‘slam dunk’ kinds of goals to build my confidence. 

I quickly realized it was no slam-dunk.  Raising support is hard work.  More than that, it’s humbling.  Every insecurity I ever struggled with, I re-lived.  At times it was painful.  God was pruning me.  I tried to take it personally.  But that’s another story for another day.

Fast forward to today: the day I got my income report for the month of July.  It was the moment of truth.  It’s one thing to trust God in the hypotheticals.  It’s quite another to trust Him with a number.  I got my calculator out and started punching. 

27% raised in monthly commitments.  23% raised in special gifts. 

I could barely believe my eyes.  I rechecked.  Sure enough.  I’ve raised exactly 50% of my support by July 31^st.  I couldn’t be a skeptic if I wanted to be.  

Can I be honest with you?  I am nothing special.  If you’ve met me, you already know this.  I'm about as average as it gets.  If God was faithful to me, He’ll be faithful to you.  I dare you to trust Him.  Take a step.  He won’t let you down.