A Testimony of God's Provision

The Lord's very first gift to me, in the first week after He was pleased to save me some thirty-six years ago, was a book: The Autobiography of George Müller. Little did I know that it would leave so deep an impression upon my soul. In many respects, the course of our life and ministry hath since been patterned after the lessons it taught. It also became the inspiration for the journals I would later begin to write.

Upon its first leaf I penned a simple dedication: "To my Lord, because I easily forget." Those words have remained with me ever since. The pages of that small journal were filled with countless needs and the Lord's particular answers to each one. Through every account, He seemed to say, "I am real. You can trust Me."

And trust Him we did.

The years have only confirmed what that first book taught me. Time and again the Lord hath met our needs with remarkable faithfulness, not always in the manner we expected, but always in the manner He knew to be best. Each answer became another testimony, another remembrance of His unchanging character, and another reason to trust Him more fully. For this reason, whenever I am asked what our ministry is, my answer is always the same: prayer. Not because prayer is our work, but because it is the appointed means by which God continually reminds us that the work is His. He gives us the prayers He will answer. 

Looking back, I have come to see that keeping a journal was itself an admonition from the Lord. It hath become a lasting testimony of His faithfulness. Had I not written these things down, many of His mercies would, through the frailty of my memory, have been forgotten. Even now, my children read those early accounts of God's dealings with us. They behold the record of our needs, His timely provisions, our fears, and His unfailing answers. Thus they are able to witness, not merely hear about, the faithfulness of God throughout the years. Without those journals, I would have little to place into their hands but mere memories. Now the written record remains, bearing witness that the Lord hath never failed us. It stands as a testimony, not to our faith, but to His steadfast faithfulness from our earliest days unto the present.

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 14:13  

For the past five years we have published, each month, an open record of every contribution received. Each person is identified only by his initials, allowing every giver to verify his own offering and see how the funds have been used. We have found such openness to be a necessary safeguard for accountability and a simple expression of honesty before both God and His people.

There will be a month in a year that the fund would rise to about two hundred and forty dollars, though more often it remains near forty. By today's standards this amount is insignificant, yet the Lord hath continually shown it to be sufficient. From these small offerings come the purchase of Bibles, the printing of gospel tracts, and the weekly shared meal, including the needs of the children. Thus the Lord again reminds us that His sufficiency is not measured by abundance, but by faithfulness.

From the beginning I established a minimum contribution of only five pesos a month—about eight cents—not because I desired to exact a payment, but because I desired that everyone should have a share in the work without being burdened (the brethren of course gives generously above the requirement.) The amount is so small that it leaves little room for excuse, yet great enough to remind us that every believer may willingly participate according to his ability. Unlike our former congregations, where a tenth was expected, we have never bound the conscience in such matters. We believe that giving ought to proceed from a cheerful heart and not from compulsion. The measure of a man's offering belongs to the Lord, and to Him we gladly leave the care of His people's generosity.

..the laborer is worthy of his hire..

Luke 10:7

I also resolved long ago that I would not receive a regular portion from the congregation's funds (Acts 20:34), as is commonly the practice among many pastors (1 Cor 9:14). I desired that what was given for the work should remain for the work. As for my own support, the Lord hath been pleased to provide through the voluntary kindness of my own children, who from time to time give according to their ability. In this also, He hath never failed to show Himself faithful in blessing them.

..for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:32-33

To remain continually in need is to remain continually dependent upon God. More precious than the provision itself is the gracious hand that provides it. The one supplies the outward needs of the ministry; the other strengthens the faith of the saints. For every answer to prayer is not merely a gift bestowed, but a fresh testimony that the living God works on behalf of His people.

I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.

Psalm 37:25

We do not merely proclaim the Word of God; we also seek to display the reality of the God who cares for the smallest needs of His children. The great weakness of much modern Christianity is the disconnection of Scripture from lived experience. Many profess the promises of God, yet seldom venture beyond the safety of their profession to prove His faithfulness. The power of God is not a doctrine to be admired from afar, but a present reality to be trusted and experienced in the path of obedience. It is often the unwillingness to step out in faith that leaves many strangers to His provision.

And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.

Isaiah 46:4

When the hand of God is truly known, His works cease to be treated as strange interruptions to ordinary life. They become the ordinary mercies of an extraordinary God. Thus, when believers speak of every answer to prayer or every providential intervention as though it were an astonishing rarity, it often reveals how little they have lived in habitual dependence upon Him. For the Christian who walks daily with God expects Him to be faithful, because He hath always been so.

And so it hath become a constant theme in our family worship to give thanks unto God for keeping us continually in need. For it is our need that drives us unto His throne, and His faithfulness that assures us we shall never truly lack.

the one who gathered much had nothing left over, and the one who gathered little lacked nothing; each one had gathered what he could eat. 

Exodus 16:18

When our funds fall below what seems sufficient, we praise Him, for His mercies, having no need at that time. When the need arises, the provision soon follows, always in His appointed measure and in His appointed time. Thus we have learned to thank Him not only for what He gives, but also for the need itself. For the need keeps us dependent, and dependence keeps us near the hand that never fails to supply. He not only provides us with bread, but with a continual testimony of His faithfulness.