The Lord Provides
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series IV, Cycle A
"Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today." (vv. 31--34)
When I was in junior high and high school, my family watched Little House on the Prairie. I wouldn't admit it to my friends in high school, but I enjoyed the show. There was something wholesome and spiritual about it. Although the Ingles family endured a lot of tragedy, somehow they would always land on their feet. It was a terrible year for crops; the patriarch Charles Ingles would say, "The Lord will provide." Then a job opened up in the sawmill. No matter what the tragedy, Charles had only one response: "The Lord will provide." And sure enough, God provided a way. It seemed like this was the plot about every third episode.
One of my favorite episodes saw the tables turned on Charles. His oldest daughter Mary, who had become blind, was now married and ran a school for blind children with her husband. The school was in need of a new facility and had very little money for rent. Charles was on a trip to the city with his other daughter, Laura, whom he called "Half--pint." As they were driving their two--horse wagon, they looked down to the end of the street and saw an old abandoned building with a "For Sale" sign hanging in the window. Laura remarked to her father how perfect the building would be for the blind school. He questioned where the money would come from. Without hesitation, she responded, "As you always say, Pa, the Lord will provide."
If I'm truthful, I liked that episode because a teenager, like myself at the time, had proved a point to an adult. Now as an adult and a father, I like it because it suggests that children eventually learn our belief system. What more valuable lesson is there than to hold so dear a faith in God? Well, none.
Unlike Little House on the Prairie, the providence of God and God's love for humanity are more than just fiction. Yesterday I was at my Rotary Club meeting and Richard Williams, who is the director of The Mission Society for United Methodists, brought our program. His group sends dental and medical missionaries to third world countries. Williams told how they had healed thousands of people - first physically and then spiritually - in Africa and South America. But he also told a story of how God provided for their ministry.
When this ministry was first beginning, it became apparent to Dr. Jeff Lester, the Mission Society's founder, that they needed a portable CAT scanner. Dr. Lester called the CEO of a company that manufactures CAT scanners and asked if he could donate a machine to their mission ministry. The CEO replied, "No. If I gave one to your organization then I would have to give one to every other organization that requests one. We simply cannot afford to give away that many CAT scanners no matter how benevolent the organization."
A few weeks later, a call came that the CAT scanner was being sent with instructions on where to pick it up. Mission Society volunteers retrieved the machine from the pick up point. After the machine arrived, Dr. Lester called the CEO to thank him for his change of heart. The CEO didn't know what Dr. Lester was talking about. His company had not sent the CAT scanner. To this day, the origin of the CAT scanner remains a mystery.
Praise God they received their CAT scanner because it has helped heal a lot of people. The Lord provided. And praise God I was at my Rotary meeting, because just as I had decided to write this book and wondered if I had enough God stories to write about, the Lord provided me with this story to share with you. The Lord does provide. To those of faith, that is no mystery. We have a blessed assurance of that.
When I was in junior high and high school, my family watched Little House on the Prairie. I wouldn't admit it to my friends in high school, but I enjoyed the show. There was something wholesome and spiritual about it. Although the Ingles family endured a lot of tragedy, somehow they would always land on their feet. It was a terrible year for crops; the patriarch Charles Ingles would say, "The Lord will provide." Then a job opened up in the sawmill. No matter what the tragedy, Charles had only one response: "The Lord will provide." And sure enough, God provided a way. It seemed like this was the plot about every third episode.
One of my favorite episodes saw the tables turned on Charles. His oldest daughter Mary, who had become blind, was now married and ran a school for blind children with her husband. The school was in need of a new facility and had very little money for rent. Charles was on a trip to the city with his other daughter, Laura, whom he called "Half--pint." As they were driving their two--horse wagon, they looked down to the end of the street and saw an old abandoned building with a "For Sale" sign hanging in the window. Laura remarked to her father how perfect the building would be for the blind school. He questioned where the money would come from. Without hesitation, she responded, "As you always say, Pa, the Lord will provide."
If I'm truthful, I liked that episode because a teenager, like myself at the time, had proved a point to an adult. Now as an adult and a father, I like it because it suggests that children eventually learn our belief system. What more valuable lesson is there than to hold so dear a faith in God? Well, none.
Unlike Little House on the Prairie, the providence of God and God's love for humanity are more than just fiction. Yesterday I was at my Rotary Club meeting and Richard Williams, who is the director of The Mission Society for United Methodists, brought our program. His group sends dental and medical missionaries to third world countries. Williams told how they had healed thousands of people - first physically and then spiritually - in Africa and South America. But he also told a story of how God provided for their ministry.
When this ministry was first beginning, it became apparent to Dr. Jeff Lester, the Mission Society's founder, that they needed a portable CAT scanner. Dr. Lester called the CEO of a company that manufactures CAT scanners and asked if he could donate a machine to their mission ministry. The CEO replied, "No. If I gave one to your organization then I would have to give one to every other organization that requests one. We simply cannot afford to give away that many CAT scanners no matter how benevolent the organization."
A few weeks later, a call came that the CAT scanner was being sent with instructions on where to pick it up. Mission Society volunteers retrieved the machine from the pick up point. After the machine arrived, Dr. Lester called the CEO to thank him for his change of heart. The CEO didn't know what Dr. Lester was talking about. His company had not sent the CAT scanner. To this day, the origin of the CAT scanner remains a mystery.
Praise God they received their CAT scanner because it has helped heal a lot of people. The Lord provided. And praise God I was at my Rotary meeting, because just as I had decided to write this book and wondered if I had enough God stories to write about, the Lord provided me with this story to share with you. The Lord does provide. To those of faith, that is no mystery. We have a blessed assurance of that.
