In the spring of 2019, both my husband and I were working outside the home, but I was feeling an urgent tug to be at home full time for at least a couple years. We worked opposite schedules, and I was often at work during the evenings and weekends, which meant that time together as a whole family was often short.
Our kids (ages newborn, 2, and 5 at the time) were frequently shuffled around to different family members for the hour or two when our work schedules overlapped. We were very blessed to have the jobs that we had, but I sensed the winds of change, so we took the leap and I quit my job, even though we knew we would be $500 – $1,000 short on our budget every single month for a year unless God came through for us. How do you budget for that? You don’t … you pray!
I decided to write down every time God provided for my family, and the moment we stepped out in faith, the provision began rolling in. By the end of the year, I had three pages in my journal outlining the ways God was faithful to our family.
We had overtime opportunities for my husband, checks in the mail, a nannying job for me, generous friends, and an overproducing garden. God’s provision was creative and overwhelming. Most of the items on my list were surprising and exciting, but God’s provision isn’t always rainbows and unicorns. Like when our entertainment budget essentially hit zero during the spring lockdowns of 2020. It’s easy to miss God’s faithfulness when it comes packaged in pain and discomfort.
“First I predicted your rescue, then I saved you and proclaimed it to the world. No foreign god has ever done this. You are witnesses that I am the only God,” says the Lord.” (Isaiah 43:12 NLT).
Throughout 2020, when I found myself struggling to trust God in the midst of uncertainty, I took a moment to read through those three pages of miraculous provision and my anxieties were calmed.
God weaves bright threads of faithfulness through every area of our lives, and when I take the time to pay attention and record His faithful acts, I make myself a more effective witness to His character and love.
A past track record of faithfulness makes present trust possible.
Reflection Questions
- Can you think of a time when God was faithful to you and your family?
- Do you have a place to record answered prayers and past provision? Maybe a physical journal, a Google doc, or a note on your phone? If you started a list today, could you think of three things to write down from this past month?
- Can you think of any uncomfortable or difficult ways that God has provided for you that you might not have chosen for yourself?
- What would it look like for you and/or your spouse to fully trust God with your finances?
Danielle Miller is mom to three girls and has been married to her husband, Johnny for 10 years. After 14 years in the medical field, including almost a decade as a nurse, she is enjoying being a stay at home mom with all the coffee and play dates that go along with that. She also enjoys eating out, running, gardening, and lake vacations.