Showing posts with label provision. Show all posts
Showing posts with label provision. Show all posts

October 10, 2016

The Promotion

It was Tuesday morning on August 9, 2016. I was on my way to a 9 a.m. echocardiogram appointment. My family physician had recently discovered a heart murmur and set up this appointment to get more details. I like to pray when I'm driving to work. I decided to pray for a promotion. I had been working at my current job for almost 2 years and had not yet received a pay raise. With the cost of living going up each year and my wage staying the same, I saw the need for increase. I asked God to grant me favour at work so that I would get a raise. I also said if that's not going to happen then please open the door and give me favour in the way of a new, better-paying job. I thanked Him for hearing my prayers and told Him I trusted that He was at work, behind the scenes, in my life. 

I was wearing my work scrubs that morning since I was going straight to work after my appointment. While the sonographer performed my echo she asked me where I worked and what I did. She mentioned they were hiring and asked if I might be interested. I thought, sure why not, so I said sure. When she was finished she introduced me to the lady who was setting up the interviews for the new medical office assistant position. We set up an interview appointment for August 11 right after work. I had walked in for an ultrasound of my heart and walked out with a job interview. Holy Smokes! As I walked out of the clinic, I could not believe what had just happened. I recognized it as God granting me favour immediately. 

As soon as I finished work on August 11 I went straight to the job interview. They had people coming and going for interviews. I sat down and waited for my name to be called. I prayed and told God that I trusted Him and if this was His way of providing better finances for me then I wouldn't worry about what to say at the interview. I quickly thought about a number in my head on what type of a wage I was expecting just in case they asked that question. I took a deep breath and left it in God's hands. 

My name was called. I was my turn. I walked into a room that had 3 out of the 5 cardiologists sitting there waiting to interview me at a long conference room table. The office manager was there as well. One of the first questions they asked was how much was I expecting to be paid. I spit out the number I had come up with a few minutes earlier. The interview lasted longer than the previous lady's interview before me. It went very well. One of the doctors commented that I interview very well. We wrapped things up, shook hands and I left feeling very good about it. 

Saturday afternoon, August 13, 2016, I was shopping at Michael's craft store. I received a text message from one of the doctors who interviewed me. They were about to send me an email with a job offer in a few minutes and just wanted to confirm my information. I could not believe I was hearing from them so soon, and on the weekend yet. The offer was exactly what I had asked for, plus I was going to have my own indoor parkade parking spot. No more having to scrape snow and ice off my windshield or brave the elements. I knew this was the promotion I was praying for. I accepted the offer. My first day at the new clinic was September 6, 2016. 

Was I nervous? You bet I was! I was leaving the comfort and familiarity of my current job. I was leaving behind some very good coworker friends whom I knew I was going to miss. I was walking into completely foreign territory. I didn't know a soul, but since I knew God was leading me to this new place, He equipped me with the inner confidence and peace I needed. 

On August 21 as I was spending time reading God's Word, He confirmed this new job was from Him by leading me to a scripture that reads:

Deuteronomy 1:21
Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you, do not fear or be discouraged.

God was basically saying to me personally, "Look, I have setup a new office job for you, go up to the 9th floor and possess it, as the Lord God of your father (who has recently joined me) has spoken to you, do not fear or be discouraged. Wow God!!! I started my new job one day shy of being exactly one month since my dad's funeral. 

My Bible Art Entry
How things were changing so quickly in my life. My only concern now was how to avoid leaving a giant oil puddle on my parking spot floor. My van leaked oil and I was embarrassed at the thought of one of them noticing my puddle or my old van. The driver's door handle no longer worked so I either had to have the window down so I could reach in, unlock and open my door or I had to climb in through the passenger side. Also, my driver's power window no longer went up so it was pretty much permanently halfway down. Needless to say, it made my drives very interesting and challenging during days of precipitation and cold. 

As if this new job promotion was not enough, my mom came across a vehicle my uncle was trying to sell. With some of the money she inherited from my dad's passing, she decided to buy me this new car. I went from driving an old 1995 Pontiac Trans Sport van to a 2007 Buick Allure. God is Amazing!

September 30, 2013

Coincidence or God incidents?

In May 2013 I received a large unexpected bill that was due to be paid in full June 30. God had recently blessed me with a better paying job, but as a single mom and homeowner I had not yet reached a point of being able to save up money for unexpected bills.

As I stood in my kitchen, I stared down at the bill and began to worry. Then the Holy Spirit whispered to my spirit saying, "Give it to God." That pulled my mind off the all too familiar "worry trail." While still holding the bill in my hands, I spoke out loud, "God, I believe you're going to provide the finances I need to pay this bill. You've provided for all of my needs so far and I trust that you will continue to do so." I put the bill down and walked away.

On June 10 I noticed that almost the exact amount of money I needed to pay that bill had been deposited into my account. It was my income tax refund, but normally I never receive a refund. It turned out that there were mistakes in my two previous years of income tax returns. Some people might call this "coincidence," but I immediately recognized it as a "God incident." 

Not convinced? I have one more story. In the middle of July I found some lumps on my dog Jezabell's chest. I found out they were mammary tumors (breast cancer) which is common with intact dogs. When I received the estimate for surgery, I gasped. 

A few days later I was weeding in my garden and asking God to provide a way to pay for Jezabell's upcoming surgery. I told him I trusted Him to provide as He always had. I thanked Him for that and for the most recent provision when he provided the funds I needed for the last large bill the month prior. 

Minutes later my friend showed up and told me his friend suggested I try his vet. I gave him a call. He sounded very knowledgeable. He put my mind at ease as he reassured me that it would be a simple surgery. That was a major relief compared to the conversation I had with the first vet who instilled fear in me as they repeatedly went over worst case scenarios and the costs associated with it. 

On July 23 Jezabell had successful surgery and when the vet found out who referred me he gave me an even better price on his already very reasonable price. Four days prior I had checked my bank account and found a child tax deposit that was more than double its usual amount. When I subtracted the usual amount from the total amount, the amount remaining was within $8 of the cost of the vet bill. 

I believe there are two reasons for God's perfectly timed provision:
1)  I have become a faithful tither, giving a portion of my income back to God Who has provided me with this income.

Malachi 3:10

New Living Translation (NLT)
10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!


2)  When I was tempted to worry I stopped and instead chose to verbally thank Him for the ways He had already provided and then I spoke positively about my trust in His ability to continue to provide. 

Philippians 4:6

New Living Translation (NLT)
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Philippians 4:19

New Living Translation (NLT)
19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

In the message God gave to the people through Malachi regarding tithing He said, "Try it! Put me to the test!" Since I started tithing, I have seen how God has opened the windows of heaven and poured out His blessing on my life. I put Him to the test and He passed with flying colors. I think it is important for me to mention here that I did not begin tithing so that I could get something from Him, I did so out of obedience and my love for Him.