When God Provides Abundantly More
I’m sure you’ve seen the articles and posts about brides-to-be planning their once in a lifetime wedding during a worldwide pandemic. Maybe you saw it and felt a twinge of sadness for the girl, or maybe you were like me, and you were one of those girls.
The day I got engaged to the most godly, amazing man I’ve ever met, I was beyond thrilled. Like anyone getting engaged, we started planning our wedding, dreaming of all the possibilities and getting excited about what God was going to do. Would my family be able to come? Would we get a visa for my soon-to-be husband to travel back with me after our wedding?
For about three months, I made plans and lists galore. Being the type-A person I am, I had so much figured out within those three months. But then a Covid case came to Ghana, and our world shut down. Literally. No more flights open, no more visas given; our world stopped. Weddings and funerals were banned along with many other social activities. Pretty soon, we were all trapped in our houses, quarantined, which back then was a foreign term. All wedding plans were put on hold as we watched and waited to see what would happen.
We ended up pushing back our wedding, not once, but twice, as we tried to use wisdom while trying to make our (my) dream wedding come true. I remember one night, kneeling on the floor in tears, knowing God was asking me to surrender all my plans to him. I don’t think surrendering is ever an easy thing because we, as humans, tend to want our own way. But through his help, I did surrender, as we pushed the wedding back yet again.
The funny thing is, looking back now, six months later, the moments of stress and tears aren’t the ones stuck in my mind. Instead, what sticks out in my mind most are the ways God provided when everything seemed to be in chaos. The whole world was upside down, but Jehovah-Jireh is the God who provided. He always provides; it’s in his name.
Though my wedding wasn’t anything like my original dreams, it was so much better. Sure, I had to let go of my original dreams and desires. When I did that though, I gave God the room to work. And he didn’t disappoint. Isn’t that how God works? He delights in providing for us, his children—abundantly more than we could ever ask or imagine.
Isn’t it when we surrender to him, he provides way more than we could’ve done on our own? So many times throughout Scripture, we see this happen: Abraham surrendered his son, but God provided a scapegoat; Joseph surrendered his rights, but God provided an empire; Ruth surrendered her plans, but God provided a legacy; Hannah surrendered her dreams, but God provided a livelihood; Mary surrendered her body, but God provided a Savior; and the disciples surrendered their lives, but God provided eternity. Thankfully, his abundant provision will extend to all peoples of all generations, even to your story and to mine. We just need to surrender to him first. But when we do, Jehovah Jireh promises to provide—abundantly.
I’d love to hear your stories! How has God provided abundantly for you in the past year? Have you had to surrender anything in order to see his provision in your life?
Image taken from Velvet Ashes
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