God's blessings – in His timing

God has been blessing our family this Christmas season.  As we’ve gone through a year of trials and stretching of our faith, it is so encouraging to feel His presence and see the ways God has rewarded our faith.

The biggest blessing I have received is a sense of peace.  No matter what struggles we have faced, God has been there to help us through.  As I spend more time encountering challenges, and God proves faithful through each one, my faith and confidence in God grow.  I find myself more relaxed, more confident, more at peace than at any time in my entire life, even when tomorrow remains a mystery.

God has also provided material blessings to us in a number of ways.  A few weeks ago, we were invited to a Christmas dinner party with one of my Bible study groups.  The party was in a city about 30 minutes away, and would require child care for our kids.

Unfortunately, our finances at the time could not afford the luxury of extra gas, money for babysitters and for the side dish we would bring.  With many more pressing financial concerns, we politely declined the invitation, noting our situation to the host.

To our surprise, the group insisted that we attend. Some of the group provided us with extra money to cover the food and gas costs.  Another two families volunteered the services of their daughters to babysit for us.  And just like that, we were able to attend a very enjoyable dinner party with some very good friends.

In the last two weeks, God has surprised us again with additional, unexpected help.  I was praying last Monday that God would provide me with additional sources of income for our family.  Not even 2 hours later, our neighbor came by and mentioned that they had a part time night job that they couldn’t stay with, and would I be interested in the work.  I gladly agreed, and now have a job late at night to help our family.

The great thing is that the hours don’t take away from any of my time with the kids, and more importantly, this came out of the blue shortly after I prayed.  This is how the God I know works.  He hears our prayers and He answers.  Not always in our timing or how we would expect, but He answers and provides!

Then, a friend of mine came to visit later last week.  We had a few things to discuss, but before he left, he mentioned that he had been asked to give something to us.  He presented us with a gift bag which contained some money.  This came right after I had prayed for gas money for our car to get to my new job.  And the amount was exactly what we needed to cover our gas.

Though living day to day on faith is challenging at times, it is also one of the sweetest experiences I have ever had.  To be able to approach God, submit our needs to him in prayer, and then feel His living presence as He answers, is an amazing thing.  Words can’t describe exactly how it feels, but it is awesome to know how real God is.