As the Tanzania team are preparing to go and being one of them I have been challenged in regards to how we will pay for it! When I say pay for it I mean financially and not figuratively, although we could do that too – observe us when we come back!
As I have prayed about it and thought about how we will fund-raise Elijah came to mind when he was alone in the wilderness and hungry (1 Kings 17:3-9). What happened? God sent Ravens to feed him with bread and raw meat. Now ravens are not pretty by any means and could be rather daunting being large black birds, especially if there’s a lot of them. That’s also quite a bit of bread and meat as they have a substantial beak! You can’t be too squeamish when God calls you to do some things.
The second instance from the Bible that came to me about God providing was when Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac. Now if you look at the name of God here it is often translated as Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides or literally the God who sees. What did God see that Abraham didn’t? A ram caught in the thicket – a suitable animal for sacrifice. This story points to a greater sacrifice in Jesus but it also shows us when we’re in the thick of it we can’t always see the wood for the trees but Jehovah Jireh – the God who sees, sees what we need and provides for our needs.
John Evans challenged us in the open mike session on 26th Sept about not being self-sufficient. To use another biblical metaphor step out of the boat. Throwing ourselves onto the mercy of God and letting him be the one who we rely on.
This leads me into another story only mentioned in Matthew 17:24-27, where Peter was asked by temple tax collectors about whether Jesus paid the temple tax. He tells Peter to go catch a fish and take what you find from its mouth – a coin. That coin covered everything. Very specific that, I wonder what kind of fish and why a fish and what was the fish doing chewing on coins?! Anyway Jesus again sees the need and turns nature into provider. This story demonstrates in its bizarreness God’s humour and without a doubt it was him who set it up. Who else could do such a thing making something out of something small?
Recently I have been looking at the apple trees in the gardens where I work. These trees have been laden with fruit, even in a rest year they still produce fruit. The trees were speaking to me of abundance that God is able to do so much more than we can even ask or think of and especially in the area of need. Why does he let us have so many when they go to waste? He’s a loving God and wants to bless us, even when we mess up by wasting. But he still pours out on us.
I think the abundance in fruit and produce from Sister Earth may also be to do with sharing. As we live in community he provides for all. Reminding me also of the old days when field edges were left for the poor to gather what they needed, now they are often left for wildlife.
Take a look at another couple of bible passages on the matter: Ps 50:10-14, Mt 6:25-33