Unforgettable Provision

“God, you are …” “Thank you for …”

Like many of you, I’ve been in the weekly habit of reviewing the previous week with these two prompts. In view of God’s mercy to me over the last several days, I sit on these invitations to adoration and thanksgiving.

But this week was different. I didn’t just think about the last week, but also the last few years.

When school’s in session it’s my routine to do drop-off. I normally have the kids unloaded by 8, and then rather than sit in morning traffic, it’s been my custom to find a seat at the nearby Starbucks or YMCA, where I spend time in petitionary prayer. This is a different kind of experience than private worship, which is mainly Bible meditation, because this is more like Bible application. I’m trying to do what Jesus says in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” Because God’s grace in me leads me to desire things I’m powerless to create, I ask, seek, knock for him to act. That is the gift of petitionary prayer.

And for over two years I’ve sat in the same seat at Starbucks that I was sitting in this week, and I’ve asked God to bless the Rooted initiative. Going back to the very beginning, I had written out a few requests on a notecard that I’d repeat. Among other things, one request, a big one, has been that we exceed our goal of $5m by the end of April 2023. It’s funny because at one point I crossed out “April” and just prayed that God do it by the “end of XXXX 2023.” I grew a little sheepish, I suppose, to keep asking for something that seemed so hard. But then I got convicted about that — because Is anything too hard for Yahweh? (Genesis 18:14) — so I wrote “April” back down beside the “2023” and carried on praying it everyday.

And well I sat in that same seat this week … not asking this time but marveling that God has done it. The final count, through the two years of this Rooted initiative, is $5,121,286.97.

This is not simply meeting the goal, or even exceeding it, but we have wildly exceeded it. God has provided for us and “more than that.” This is unforgettable provision. We are in “far more abundantly” territory, church, and to God be all glory. All glory. He’s worthy of it all, and we can’t praise him enough.

Let us rejoice and give him thanks, now and always.