By Melody Vanosdol
God is always faithful. I’m still working on it.
Some people take notice when your mood or personality shifts. Very few people will ask you about it. My friend at work, Karen, a sister-in-Christ, asked me the minute we were alone in the teacher work room one day. She didn’t ask me in a nosey kind of way. She asked in a “I know you need prayer” kind of way.
She knew a little about my marriage situation from a prior conversation, but that was weeks earlier. A lot had happened since we last spoke. I started sharing how God not only told me to leave the abusive situation; He started providing for me ABUNDANTLY.
God never ceases to amaze me.
I got up off the floor knowing it was over. It was time to go. I documented everything to my daughter and my best friend as I had for three and a half years. But this time I ended with, I need to find an apartment or a room for rent.
My best friend works third shift. God provided her with a slow night. She didn’t waste a single minute of it. I woke up to messages for an available apartment and two mobile homes in my area. I called about the apartment that turned out to be owned by the father of two of my former students.
Everything started flying at me so quickly, even now, it all seems like a blur.
I went to church and told my pastor (who was also my counselor) that I was leaving my abusive husband. He wasn’t surprised at all. He even seemed relieved. Then I walked up to my mom who, until this moment, knew nothing about the abuse I’d been experiencing. She only knew that my husband talked mean because she had heard him do so. I started sobbing and started with, “I’ll be late for dinner.” But I couldn’t get the rest out. I was trying very hard not to get the attention of the whole congregation. A friend who knew my situation helped me get the words out. To say my mom was shocked is an understatement. I’m not the kind of person who quits on commitments. I’m the dig in and work harder type.
Before church ended, I had a message on my phone from an old friend about a mobile home in a park she manages. I had casually asked months prior if they ever had anything for rent or sale. The timing of her message was NOT coincidental. It was God’s provision.
After church I looked at the apartment but it was super tiny (no room for four grandbabies).
That same day my brother and nephew went to look at the mobile home with me. It needed work, but it was livable.
God is so faithful. He gave me a livable home for only $2,500.
After I made the purchase, I called a company to fix the plumbing. An old friend from junior high answered the phone. They not only did the work, they allowed me to pay it off as I could afford.
They replumbed the entire home for a mere $1,500.
Two weeks later, the same company replaced my furnace using the same payment agreement. The furnace was special order. I had to wait two weeks for it to come in. It was February in Indiana and God miraculously kept the overnight lows to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. I spent most of my time just praising Him. It could have just as easily been negative 20 degrees.
My mom, brother, and best friend helped me clean up the home and get it ready for moving day. The diverse group of people God put together to help me on moving day was nothing short of amazing.
By then, my mind was numb. I couldn’t think straight. My functioning was largely automatic. The number of decisions I was being asked to make were beyond my capacity. My daughter, eight months pregnant with her fourth child, stepped into her mama bear role on my behalf. She started giving out commands and making decisions. No human knows me better. Most of my friends had taken off work to help me. Some drove hours to be there for me. This outpouring of love still swells my heart.
While I was sharing these events with my friend, Karen, she kept praising God for His provision. When I finished sharing, she said the words I desperately needed to hear:
“God’s provision is God’s confirmation.”
She paused and let it sink in for a bit. Then she repeated herself, “God’s provision IS God’s confirmation.”
I got it. It took a minute, but I finally got what she was saying. I realized that even though God had clearly spoken to me about leaving, I was still struggling with ending my marriage. I kept wondering if I had done the right thing. She was letting me know, His provision was my confirmation.
One day, a friend asked me how I was able to manage everything. I told him, “Sometimes, you just grab the hem of Jesus’ garment and hold on.”
Jesus wants us to bind ourselves to Him so that He can handle the larger portion of our burdens. He doesn’t want anything to be harder than it needs to be. He just wants us to trust him. Trust is faith.
God is always faithful. I’m still working on it.
“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19)
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).
“He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).
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