The Chair
September 7, 2022 -
“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. Lord, give victory to the king! Answer us when we call.” Psalm 20:7-9 NLT
Forty two years ago next month, Steve and I started a journey of living by faith. We can share story, after story of how God has provided for us not only physically, but spiritually and emotionally as well. I wish I could tell you that it has ALWAYS been a “piece of cake” to trust and wait on Him. It has been anything but…..
Today, we need to be encouraged like never before. It is getting harder and harder to make ends meet. Housing, food, gas, lumber, utilities etc are going thru the roof and it is almost hard to breathe at times. I am here to encourage you that we serve a Mighty God. He is a God of abundance. He is Jehovah Jireh. He says in his word that “….he knows our needs, even before we ask”. Matthew 6:31-32
I wanted to share a personal story of just how good and faithful our God is even in the small. It now serves as a reminder, whenever I feel like “I can’t breathe God. Help!” My prayer is that when you read this story, you will stop and remember the many times that God showed up and met you in your lack, and remember that God is way bigger than you can even think or imagine. Remember that God took care of you then, and he can certainly take care of you now.
A year ago, Steve and I tried to do a little updating of our house which mostly included paint and replacing our tired, dated furniture and appliances. I am a great negotiator and I love hunting for the “impossible”. We had almost completed our remodeling project, but I needed one more item and that was another chair. I knew what I wanted, the size it had to be, and the price I wanted to spend, it had to be from this century, and the coloring had to be in a neutral tone.
Every chair that I found on FB Marketplace that fit that description was instantly snatched right out from under me. We’re talking about a lot of chairs. I was not to be deterred. I knew I had to be ready to grab the next one instantly, if it should come up. It didn’t take long and there it was. It fit my “must have” requirements perfectly. I asked Steve what he thought and he said, “If that’s what you want you better grab it now”.
As I said, I am a negotiator. So you have to know that I had to try and haggle just a bit. I tried to get the seller to lower the price by $50, but he told me that he couldn’t sell for less than what he was asking for, because it was basically a new chair. I whispered a prayer to God for direction and discernment. Should I, or shouldn’t I God?
This is where it gets a little crazy. I told the seller that I wanted the chair and he then told me that another person wanted it too. The seller had a problem though. He needed the chair picked up that night. Well, that knocked me out because we were hosting a Bible study at the café. The other buyer couldn’t come to pick the chair up until after 10pm that night. I actually told this seller that it was OK, go ahead and sell the chair to the other buyer.
The seller asked where I would be coming from and I told him Pickens. The seller told me that if I could pick up the chair in Clemson, he would sell the chair to me, because he just couldn’t wait for the other buyer to pick it up at 10pm. He had to get up early the next morning for his job. I explained that we were hosting a Bible study and we just couldn’t get there that night. We could come the next day, but not that night. He then told me that if I still wanted the chair that he would bring it to me. I immediately started trying to talk myself out of this chair, because I didn’t want him to have to bring it all the way to Pickens. He was NOT to be deterred and told me that he would be there within the hour. I hung up the phone and I looked at Steve and told him what had just happened. We just couldn’t figure out what was going on.
Within the hour, the seller and his dad arrived and unloaded “the chair”. By this time, our Bible study group had started to arrive. The dad started asking questions about the ministry and what we did. We explained the concept of the ministry and he loved what we were doing. He said that he would like to make a donation and asked for our giving info. At the time, I didn’t think much about it, because a lot of people tell us that and we never hear or see them again.
Here’s what happened. Within the month, we received a check from our new friend……then another……yet another……and now for a year, he has continued to bless this ministry on a monthly basis all because of a chair. What I didn’t tell you is that the ministry at this time last year, had lost a lot of income due to covid and other things. We had no clue as to how God would replace that income, but we TRUSTED that he would. We moved forward in faith with what God instructed us to do. Those instructions were to feed the clients of BHS and the homeless and others. Our checkbook said one thing, but God asked us to trust Him, and He would provide. I just didn’t think he would use a chair to do it.
Our hope, our provision doesn’t come from what we can do ourselves or what others can do for us (horses & chariots). Our hope and provision comes directly from our Father above. These days, when the squeeze is on, call out to God. Remind him of his promises found in his word and then stand firm and wait. Divine appointments are waiting.
Our God is Faithful!
