Why I believe God will Provide–He is Faithful

     In just a few days the wife, the boy and I head to Belmont University for freshman orientation.
Less than two months after that, the boy moves. To Nashville. Without us. By himself.
     While there's a whole lot of emotion tied up in that previous statement, the overarching theme is faith. The past three or so months have been a faith journey unlike any I have traveled. I believe that God's will is for E to go to Belmont University in August. I also believe that God does not want his mom and I to go into debt to pay for it.
     That leaves a $30,000-$33,000 need that we're expecting God to meet. I don't know how. I don't know when, but I believe He will do it.
     I've had plenty of people ask why we aren't looking for an in-state solution. They scratch their heads disbelievingly when I tell them the annual cost of attendance.
     My explanation is that Belmont the premier music school in the South, and, while that's true, that's not really the reason.
     We're not looking at an in-state, HOPE scholarship-funded school because we believe Belmont is where God has ordained E to go. That same God owns the cattle on a thousand hills and created music. He can provide this need easily.
     In recent days, God has reminded me time and again that He has established a history or provision in my life, and He gets all the praise for that. In Psalm 22, David said that when it feels like God is not there or doesn't answer immediately, he still believed. Why? Because God has a history of provision, answering the prayers of his father.
     I've spent a lot of time thinking about just how much God has provided for us in the past. He has proven faithful time and again. He will provide. How do I know that? Because has never failed me. He has a record of faithfulness in my life: 
     I've trusted Him with my eternity. Why wouldn't I trust Him for this?
     He sustains me. On that June day in 1998 when my dad died and on that cold January day in 2005 when my mom passed, He taught me that even though I was walking in the shadow of death, I did not have to fear because He was with me.
     My God supplies. I used to pine for brothers and sisters. At my mom's funeral God showed me that He had surrounded me with them: cousins who had lived with my family, friends who loved my parents; it was beautiful.
     He does not put more on me than I can handle. When trouble piles high, I am reminded of the day A had three gran mal seizures back-to-back. While she was having a CT scan, my then 7-year-old son calls to tell me my diabetic mom, his babysitter, was unconscious. God gave me clarity, reason and peace. He gave E wisdom and guided me home. When I got there, E had fed her chocolate and juice. She was conscious, and her blood sugar was back up. Autumn was well-cared for. My wife was surrounded by friends. God took care of us.
     God redeems. In the years after her seizures, A took medicine to control them. The drug's side effects took their toll. Her learning slowed. Her development was delayed. BUT, God walked with her, moving her from "failing" to "exceeding" on standardized tests. Now, she's taking College Prep Advanced classes as a high school junior, and she's never had another seizure. He exchanges beauty for ashes. Strength for tears.
     God strengthens us. The two years after E broke his leg were long and full of tests, surgeries and hospitalizations. Simultaneously, my wife almost died from a perforated ulcer and her own serious surgery. During one six-day time span, I trekked repeatedly between the hospital with my wife and at home to care for E, who could not get out of bed by himself. Those were rough days, but God provided. E's leg healed. My wife recovered. I CAN do all things through Christ who gives me strength.
     He meets my needs where I am. On a day when it looked like bankruptcy might be my only option, a man who owed me a decent sum of money approached me in the parking lot at one of E's baseball games. The man offered his hand and when he pulled it away,  a $100 bill was in my palm. I never expected to see even a dollar of the money I loaned him again, and I sure didn't envision God using this person to meet my financial need, but He did. God provides in unexpected ways.
    God gave me ministry. I wasted a lot of time in my adulthood looking for God's will for my life. I was expecting my own road-to-Damascus experience like Paul had. I didn't get it. So I stopped and looked around. Ministry was right there in front of me–in men I could encourage and men who could encourage me. It has become a ministry. God provides.
     God encourages. My buddy Rodney has been in my shoes. His son needed tuition, and his family didn't have the money. But, his son was confident he was supposed to attend Liberty University. Brent entered a video contest and won a full-ride scholarship to his first choice college. Yes, God provides.
     God provides encouragement, part II. Rodney continues to be a source of encouragement. He told me he wasn't asking God to provide our need. Whoa. What? No, Rodney said his prayer is more like a conversation. He is ASSUMING God is going to meet our need. "God," he prays, "I can't wait to see how creative You are going to be in providing it." Wow.
     God provides encouragement, part III. Mark took out a pen to write on the McDonald's napkin. His daughter was headed to San Francisco on a mission trip and needed $12,000. The deadline was approaching. Mark wrote "$12.00" and asked his daughter what it said. "12 dollars," she replied. He then added a zero and changed the period to a comma. How long, he asked, did it take for that $12 to become $12,000? The change was almost instant. That, Mark said, is how quickly God can provide. And, he did. She went to San Francisco.
     We have an intercessor. In fact, many intercessors. A friend asked if I minded her sharing our need with others. I had just studied Psalm 22:23-26:

     You loyal followers of the Lord, praise him!All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
     All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of him!
     For he did not despise or detest the suffering of the oppressed;he did not ignore him;
     when he cried out to him, he responded....
     Let those who seek his help praise the Lord!
     May you live forever!
     Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to him!

     I was challenged to let others know what we're praying for so that they can praise God when it happens. I told her to follow God's prompting. I have no idea how many people are praying for this need, but I know it's a lot. WHEN he provides, their faith will grow. Wow.

     A Word of Faith. When my Sunday School lesson centered on Psalm 27, God knocked my socks off with Psalm 27:13: Where would I be if I did not believe I would experience the LORD’s favor in the land of the living? (Psalms 27:13 NET) I believe.

     The tough question. In listening to a podcast about God's direction, I was challenged to answer this question: If God chose to redirect E to another college or down another path, would I or would he be willing to let go of this dream and follow him? I knew in my heart that the answer had to be, "Yes." It was.

     Seek you first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. Jesus told Nicodemus in Matthew's gospel that he needed to seek God before he asked for anything else. One day, while cutting grass, God chastised me. I had let prayers for this Belmont need to take precedence over my prayers for His righteousness. I had allowed this need to take priority. Tuition is neither my nor E's most important need. It is one of the "all these other things," that Jesus spoke about. My need for God and His righteousness must come first. THEN, all these other things will be added. I'm counting on it. God I need YOU.

     Did I tell you that God provides?Andrew Burnham has a dream. He wants to be a football coach. He has had some great opportunities, but finishing college has been a real challenge. He got a scholarship, but a staff change at the end of his freshman year ended that. He was invited to work at an NFL training camp one summer. That provided the funds he needed to finish his sophomore year. He was hired as a para-professional and assistant football coach at a local high school, and that sustained him a while longer. Then, this happened. Just this week Andrew accepted a college football staff position that will pay for him to complete his degree. He's getting his degree AND he's coaching.

     Don't tell me God can't provide.

     It's an old church cliche, but Andrew's story reminds me of a saying I used to hear:

     When we can't. God CAN.

     I'm counting on it. Belmont, here we come!