According to His Riches

The Promise

My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

This verse has proven to be reliable on so many occasions in my life. I have written about a few of those occasions for your encouragement, for God is no respecter of persons, and what He has done for me, He can do for you. Here is an accurate and true account of the amazing grace and provision of God:

The Opportunity

Going back to school in my mid-30s was an adventure. After all, when I quit back in the ‘70s, I was already as smart and mature as I could get. Hmmmm … do you remember ever feeling that way? It wasn’t long before I discovered that that might not be the case, but I was stubborn, and ended up working very hard working more than one job at a time for many years. Then, the opportunity arose for me to return to school and finish out a degree in the area that truly interested me, and after eighteen years, I felt up to the challenge. I was grateful that the Lord was supplying my need according to His riches.

The Challenge

It did not take long for me to realize that working full time, raising a family, running a household, and going to school was a lot. I finally went to my academic advisor and admitted, “I just don’t think I have it in me.”

She responded with words that I could hold on to in a very practical way. She said, “Whenever you are tempted to quit, think of your paycheck. Then think of what it would be if you had finished school the first time around. Remember, you can still get there.” 

It was enough. I endured, and with the help of God and my family,  in August of 1997, I finished my degree in Secondary Education/Language Arts with honors. I received that diploma full of hope that God would guide me to the perfect job where, finally, I could earn more than minimum wage. In fact, we had already calculated that I would need to earn $24,000 a year to make ends meet. That’s not a tall order for the God I serve, the One who supplies all my need according to His riches. We prayed specifically for that amount.

The Unexpected Outcome

Then the problem: I didn’t get a job … not even an interview. I sent out application after application to no avail. Finally, out of a sheer, desperate need to do something, I enrolled in graduate school. About that time, a friend told me about a small, private, Christian school that still needed a teacher for first through fourth graders. I applied, even though that was not my concentration,  and got the job … at $12,000 for the year–half of what I needed. Still, it was something. I knew it would give me experience to list on my next resume, and even though my faith trembled a little, I still believed that God would supply all my need according to His riches. 

The job turned out to be a real blessing. The children were wonderful and the parents were supportive. Most important of all, I could teach from a Christian worldview. Then one Saturday, I got a phone call.

He Supplied My Need

My grandfather called to tell me that he had been contacted by the bank about some money that my late grandmother had in a personal account. He said he had decided she would would want me to have it. I was so grateful, but I didn’t ask him for details. He said there would soon be a check in the mail, and I thanked him, and we went on to other topics of conversation.

According to His Riches in Glory

About two weeks later, the check came. When I opened the envelope, I nearly fainted, for there in my hands was a check written to me in the amount of $12,000! Yes, added to my $12,000 salary, the exact figure we needed. The exact amount for which we had prayed. 

Through Christ Jesus

There is no way that could have been orchestrated by anyone but God Almighty who knew what we had shared with no one else.

By the way, the following year I was able to begin a new job in a Christian high school for more than the $24,000 per year, and I stayed in that school for 18 years!

Don’t get me wrong. God is not our bank in heaven, and He is not our cosmic Santa Claus, but He certainly does take care of His children. 

Don’t Worry

Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:25-33). 

I praise Jehovah Jireh with all my heart for provision–specific provision–that He delivers right on time. He, and not the world, meets all my needs according to His riches in glory!

God bless you, and may all your needs be met according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus.