Photo courtesy of Ivan Vicencio
Psalms 118:17 I will not die but live, and proclaim what the Lord has done.
God is always on time and He listens when we pray. He is ready – even eager – to respond to our requests. Listen to this one…
Last night, we (Pete, Erin and I) played and sang Praise and Worship songs at the Ogden Rescue Mission for the homeless before our dear friend Cindy Fernau gave a talk about filling the God-shaped hole in our hearts with Jesus. She gave the altar call and about ten people came forward for salvation.
Afterwards, we were talking and praying with a dear old man who needed strength to continue in his walk with God, the alcohol very evident on his breath. Cindy asked him if he had a Bible. He explained that the Ogden Rescue Mission had some but they were difficult to understand. We looked and saw that the Bibles were King James Version – a great Bible but a little difficult for Christians starting off with milk.
Cindy ran to a thrift shop to see if she could find one for him that was easier to begin with, like the New Living Translation. Pete and I talked about purchasing some (maybe 10-12) for the next meeting. We decided to talk to our friend Kevin who owns the New Life Christian Bookstore in Layton, Utah. He could probably hook us up with a good one for a decent price.
We came home and, still feeling quite ill from a week of the flu, we checked online at the local video stores for a Christian movie called The Climb
I sent Jared on a mission the next morning to rent the video from Kevin, if he had a copy, and to ask him about the Bibles. Kevin showed him the perfect one, a New Living Translation Bible that covered the New Testament in one year. Great for someone beginning their walk with God. He told Jared to have me check online at www.cbd.com for the price and then he’d work something out with me.
In the meantime, while Jared is talking to Kevin in between customers, a man is listening to the conversation and asking a few questions here and there. What were they for? How many did we need? What kind of Bible? Jared answered all the questions and then the man said that he wanted to purchase two cases of the Bibles through Kevin’s store in order to bless Kevin, and then donate them to the cause, in order to bless the homeless.
Now, I know Whose Hand is involved in this one. It doesn’t end there. See, God is not a do it to spec God. He’s a Watch And See What I Will Do kind of God. He goes above and beyond.
I immediately logged onto www.cbd.com and found out that the price of the Bible was $1.49, if you buy more than ten it’s $0.99. I called Kevin and let him know. He was impressed with the price and was writing down the Stock Number when the man walked back into the store again. Kevin gave him the info while I was on the phone with him and the man responded that he wanted to donate 120-130 Bibles to the cause.
Wow! I was amazed and speechless. We were looking for 10-12 Bibles (and that was stretching our budget), God multiplied that by 10 and gave it for free!
Psalm 118:15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!”
Words cannot express what I feel when I see God’s Hand at work. He knew the need, He knew when and where to fulfill it, and He went to work knowing that many would be blessed by His Loving Kindness. We have an Amazing God who truly does walk personally with us and who has us in His hand. I love it!
As a dear friend says, “You can’t out-give God.” Amen?
Psalm 118:1 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.
