I didn’t know what was taking place on the other side of the world, but God knew; and He had His hand in the events.
The thought of what I did hit me suddenly. What was I thinking? Why did I promise to do that? I didn’t want to give away that amount of money. Maybe I should just send $100, even $50. That seemed more reasonable than the $280 I had promised.
I rang my husband to tell him what I had done and to get his opinion about how much I should send, if any at all. His reply was like a dash of cold water in my face.
“Send all she asked for,” he said, “plus half again.”
That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I didn’t want to send $280, much less $420.
Just then God seemed to speak to me: Why couldn’t I send $420? I’d just spent more than that buying furniture that wasn’t necessary. I could afford to send more than that.
So before I could think of all kinds of excuses and convince myself not to send it, I went to Western Union Money Transfer online and sent $420 to Tracey.
I occasionally send text messages back home to my friends and family, just to keep in touch. Such was the case when I sent a text on Monday. By Tuesday I’d heard back from almost everyone except my cousin Tracey. This was unusual, since she is usually one of the first to reply. But I figured she was probably out of phone credit and would reply when she got some.
On Wednesday I received a text message from her saying that she wasn’t in the best of health, that she was out of a job, and that she was in debt up to her neck. In spite of all this, she was still giving God thanks and praise.
When I received her message I was in the middle of reading an interesting book, and without giving it much thought I replied that I’d send her some money, and that she should let me know how much she needed.
She replied saying that she needed $280, if I could spare that much. If not, she said, any amount would help, until God provided the rest.
That’s what led me to send $420 to Tracey. I let her know that the money was sent, and I asked her to let me know when she received it. I could almost feel her joy and ecstatic praise to God in her text reply a few minutes later.
“You’ll see what my God can do.”
“Your God? This is just plain foolishness; what if you can’t make the payments?”
“Don’t worry about it. My God will provide for my needs.”
“We’ll see.”
That was the conversation I had had with my husband, Ken, after I’d decided to purchase a household appliance I needed. Ken isn’t a Christian.
A few months later I found myself sick on my back and out of a job. We had absolutely no money, our bills were piling up, and we had two kids to feed and send to school. On top of that, Ken was down on his luck as well. Where was God when I needed Him?
Just then I received a text message from my cousin Necola, in Australia. I wanted to reply but couldn’t; I had no phone credit, and no money to buy credit with.
The following day I contacted my parents and all my siblings and friends to implore their help, but no one was able to assist us by lending us money. There was now nothing more I could do.
That night I lay awake. “Lord, is this where You bring me? I have no job, no money, no one to help. I’m sick and flat on my back. Where’s Your help when I need it? Ken’s asking about the God who was going to help me. Where are You, Lord? I’ll wait for You, but please hurry.” When I finished talking with God, I heard a message come in on my mobile phone. Out of the blue my friend had sent me a $30 phone credit. With this I decided to text a reply to Necola.
When I received her reply asking how much I needed, I was so excited that I started praising and jumping up and down thanking God. I even forgot to text her back. Ken was skeptical, asking how I could celebrate when I hadn’t received anything yet, and still might not.
I wasn’t sure how much to ask for, because my need was so great and I didn’t want to burden Necola. So I asked Ken how much I should ask for. He said I should ask for what my most pressing need was, which was what I did. When Necola told me how much she was sending, more than I’d asked for, my tears wouldn’t stop. I was so excited and amazed at how God had worked.
Most of us know what it feels like to be the one praying for an answer, or to receive a seemingly big, fat no from God, or to see divine intervention unfold before our eyes, or feel what it’s like to anxiously wait for God to come through for us.
The next time you feel impressed to contact or give to someone, do not hesitate. You just might be the answer they’ve been praying for. What if your lack of response to God’s prompting prevents others’ prayers from being answered?
