I don’t always feel God’s presence. I don’t often hear him speaking to me. Sometimes praying seems to bring more questions and fears than answers and peace. This winter, however, I have been experiencing God’s provision in simple, tangible gifts.
~The gift of two extra sisters.
Dawn and Lucinda, two second year students at Faith Builders, are staying with us as they complete their internships at schools in the area. Sometimes we do fun things in the evenings, like walking through the freshly snow-dusted streets of St. Jacob’s.
~The gift of a nest of children gathered around me to listen to a story.
(One stroked my arm. Another complained after each page that his friend’s head was in the way, but all contributed to the nest of love surrounding me.)
~The gift of a message at church emphasizing the “Fear Not” theme of the Christmas story.
I already knew that presence—someone being with us—is an antidote to fear. I even put it in my 3rd graders’ Christmas program last year. “Jesus presence kicks fear right on out of here!” But writing it and living it are two different things, it seems, so this reminder was very timely.
~The gift of a job that I can jump into for a couple of weeks.
I am privileged to get to work in the Quality Control department at Martin’s Family Fruit Farm while I’m home for a few weeks this winter. I will never be the same. The other day, I was walking past the produce section in a grocery store, and I had this sudden urge to stop and look at the apples to check their quality. As a child, I could never understand why Dad needed to stop and look at the apples whenever we went grocery shopping with him. Now I get it. I repeat, I will never be the same.
~The gift of getting to sit across from people who have experienced persecution and the cost of following Jesus.
We had the privilege of having a new-to-Canada Pakistani family share a meal with us last Sunday. They testified about how they felt the presence of God as close as breathing in the midst of their years of hardship, and it was beautiful.
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The sisters are a gift that remind me that God knows our needs before we even ask, and cares about the hard changes in our lives.
The nest of children was a gift that reminded me of how Jesus wants to be close to me.
The timely message at church was a gift that reminded me that God is still pursuing me, even though I don’t deserve it anymore.
The opportunity to work is a gift and an opportunity to choose gratitude over laziness every day.
Hearing the testimony of people who have needed the presence of God to get them through was a gift that boosted my faith.
Thank You, Provider, for the evidence of your Presence in the form of tangible gifts.
Realizing Provision 