Okay, I’m going to go out on a limb here and maybe offend the “really good” Christians by saying that every once in a while I insert a dollar bill into the slot of the little green machine at the grocery store, in hopes that the numbers on the little white piece of paper that pops out of another slot might have the winning lottery numbers on it.
You can think less of me. I live by grace anyhow. Besides, I pray before I do it. Of course, I’m not sure if I haven’t won because I’m not saying the right prayer or God’s trying to tell me something.
Well, I think I know the answer. It came to me just the other day. I was reading about Ed McMann – you know, the guy that we all have waited years for to show up on our doorsteps with a big, fat check from Publishers Clearing House. Did you know he filed for bankruptcy? The guy from Dick Clarke’s show – the guy with the big, fat checks didn’t budget his income too well (and he had a great income!).
I’m sure he thought at one point in his life he had it all. Then he lost it all.
Sometimes I feel I’ve lost it all. Life can seem desperate. Yet, I look back at what God has provided and when I stop to think about it, He has done nothing less than a miracle in our lives.
We received, according to our taxes, lower than poverty level in income last year and yet – we wanted for nothing. There’s only one way that can happen. God’s faithfulness to provide for our every need. And… He did.
We search the aisles of the market for something to fill the hunger in our lives. We search the internet for something to fill the loneliness, only to turn it off with the empty feeling still intact, deep within. We flip through the channels on our HD TV’s only to come full circle to where we began, having found nothing. Why is it that we look for and to everything else in this world to satisfy us before we turn to Him?
I popped a dollar into the machine and after retrieving it, I walked toward the car and hoping this would be the little piece of paper that would solve my despair. Before I got to the car, I realized what I was doing. Little pieces of paper are not the answer. There is absolutely nothing or anyone that can nor will ever take care of me the way my Daddy above can or will ever do. No lottery ticket is the magic key. There is no magic key.
The key, I realized as I sat in the car thinking about it, is faith. After all, who or what am I trusting in – God or a little piece of paper with the wrong numbers on it?
One of my favorite hymns is “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”. All I have needed, Your hand has provided…
What I need, He’ll provide. It doesn’t mention the state lottery. If I don’t win the so that I can help my daughter pay her school bill, perhaps that’s not my burden to carry (although I carry it quite well). Perhaps I need to just trust Him for everything, large or small. I have this feeling that to Him, size isn’t an issue and He can take care of it.
His faithfulness is great. His provision, just as great. I think I’ll just rest in that. No more little green machines for me. Anyone for a game of poker? Just kidding.
His,
Sherri
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