We have some big requests for our Heavenly Father right now. We're heading into several months of seriously reduced income due to my husband Nathan's upcoming knee surgery and recovery time, at the same time as we see some very large expenses on the horizon. We have some mountains that need to be moved. We are going to need miraculous provision. And so we've been praying for some very large things lately.
And we believe that God is fully able to provide exactly what we need, though when my mom told us that they were praying that God would answer our needs in such a way that there could be no doubt in our minds that it was His doing, I confess that I wasn't sure whether I liked that idea or not! Big answers have a way of keeping you in suspense till the last minute!
At any rate, on Tuesday, I took 5 puppies to the vet for their shots--the last step before they were ready to leave our house (!!!). Nevermind about how I managed to get them all there and back without losing one (or my mind)... I was anticipating a bill close to $400, because that is what the vet's office quoted me when I called about pricing several weeks ago. And I wasn't worried about that because we had built the cost of the shots into the puppy price. So when I went to the desk at the end, and the receptionist informed me that the bill was $152, I thought I'd misheard because I was too busy trying to make sure the dogs didn't run away while I searched for my credit card. I didn't check again until I had everyone back in the van, and there it was at the bottom of the receipt: $152. I ran through the charges and everything appeared to be in order, at which point I realized that we'd just made a little over $200 extra on these pupppies.
Now I can think of lots of things to do with $200! But it occurred to me on the way home that this was an answer to our prayer. $200 is not much in the face of thousands of dollars, but it is far more than nothing. And lots of 200s eventually add up to thousands. And then I thought: What if we don't need something astounding and "miraculous" so that we'll know that God has answered? What if we need instead to learn to see God's working in the small things? What if a really cheap vet bill is not just our lucky day, but the loving provision of our Father? What if coming away from Costco for $20 less than expected is not just my ability to be frugal, but one of many little answers of our good God to our big request?
It's hard to explain away a sudden $100,000 windfall. We know it is God at work when the cancer just disappears without treatment, or the rebellious child turns into a bold missionary overnight. We are good at praising God for the spectacular, the extraordinary. And we should ask in faith for huge things that only God can do, if it will bring Him glory.
But Lord, give us hearts that not only praise you when the mountain is cast headlong into the sea, but also eyes that see You moving the mountain one inch at a time and hearts that thank you for each tiny step along the way!
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