Just When We Needed It - God Is So Good

Welcome to my Wednesday feature God is So Good. Here I will share stories - true and fiction, mine and others' - of the Lord's presence in the midst of trials, struggles, and difficulties.

 In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. John 16:33b

When your husband is suddenly out of work, with little to no chance of finding another any time soon, life can be tough.When he's out of work because he has a brain tumor, it's even tougher. It affected us emotionally, spiritually, physically, and, of course, financially. But we were NOT abandoned. And here is just ONE example of that. (taken from an OLD draft of Ailing Body Nourished Soul, by the way)

“I don’t know about this bill.” Marc held our bank statement in one hand and an envelope and piece of paper in the other.

I walked toward him, the baby resting on my hip. “Don’t understand the charges?”

He sighed. “Not sure how we’re going to pay it without digging into our savings, which is pretty depleted as is. We just had a couple huge bills to pay.”

I bit my lip. “This is the kind of thing savings is for, isn’t it?”

He groaned. “I just hate going into it. Who knows how much longer this will go on, and how long what we have will last.”

I rested my hand on his shoulder. “I know.” I glance at the bill: $98. I knew it won’t be a huge cut into savings, but every bit made a difference.

Marc put the paperwork down and reached for his baby daughter. I passed her to him.

“I’m gonna run out and get the mail: okay?”

He nodded, playing peek-a-boo with Annika. “Hopefully no more bills today. Where’s Andrew?”

“Napping. He should be fine for a while.”

I walked down our driveway, pondering the situation. Thank You, Lord, that we have the money in savings to cover this bill.

I grabbed several envelopes out of the mailbox. One in particular intrigued me. I didn’t recognize the handwriting on the unusually light envelope, and there was no return address.

I tore open the flap as I walked into the house. A gasp escaped my mouth. Inside were five twenty-dollar bills, and not even a note to indicate where it came from. Tension in my shoulders - tension I didn't realize had been there - disappeared.

“Marc?” I said around a chuckle.

“What? What’s so funny?”

I put the envelope down next to him. “Guess what we got in the mail?”

 His eyebrows crinkled and his head tilted.

“Money to pay that bill.”

“What?”

“One hundred dollars in cash.”

He stood up, placing his daughter on the floor. “Serious? From who?”

“Not a clue.”

He picked up the envelope and counted the money inside, then glanced at the outside of it. His trembling hands returned it to me. “Does the writing look familiar?”

“Maybe, but I can’t place it.”

He smiled. “Thank You, Lord.”

I kissed him on the cheek, then picked Annika off the floor, leading her in a bit of a waltz. “Amen. Just what we needed, when we needed it.”

**

I still wish I knew who sent us that money. But, in His view, I actually know the answer. God did. He is SO good!

Do you have a story you'd like to share about God's goodness in your struggles? Drop me an email and we can talk!

Traveling Rough Roads With God's Strength