It was our church’s mid-week prayer meeting and children’s program, followed by our praise team practice. Since I helped with the children’s program on Wednesday evenings, I had gone early to set up and get ready for the kids to arrive.

 

Entering the worship center, our worship pastor sat at his piano, practicing for Sunday’s songs. I laid down my things on a chair in the back row and walked to the front row and sat down. It was quiet and no one else had arrived yet. I figured I had about five minutes until kids began to show up.

 

It had been a hectic day. It had been a last couple of harried months. What used to be known as normal no longer seemed to exist. I was having to adjust to a new normal, except that every day changed dramatically and the new normal was fuzzy and inconsistent. Nothing seemed firm or consistent and the older I became the more I didn’t like change or being flexible.

 

Finances were rocky. Clarity over job situations and ministry opportunities were hazy. Relationships seemed shaky. Our family situation was in a very major transition as all the kids were back at home after all being gone for a year or better. Jobs were scarce and the kids were all biding their time in the shelter of mom and dad’s until they could find one or wait for school to start up again. We had gone from 2 to 6 overnight and it was proving to be an unexpected adjustment when these kids left as kids and came back with minds and independent spirits all their own.

 

And so I sat there with my eyes closed and just listened to the music.

 

Shortly after, he finished the song he had been playing and I asked if I could make a request.

 

“Sure.” Little did he know how God would use his gift.

 

“Would you play ‘Great Is Thy Faithfulness’?”

 

And so, after a second “Sure”, he began to play and I closed my eyes. As he played, my mind reflected on the words I had learned as a child…

 

Great is Thy faithfulness

Oh God my Father,

There is no shadow

Of turning with Thee.

Thou changest not,

Thy compassions they fail not

As Thou hast been,

Thou forever will be.

Summer and winter

And springtime and harvest

Sun, moon and stars with their courses above,

Join with all nature in manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness,

GREAT is Thy faithfulness,

Morning by morning new mercies I see,

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided,

Great is Thy faithfulness,

Lord unto me.

 

I sat there and soaked up those words – words of truth.

 

All I have needed, Your hands have provided.

 

My thoughts took me back to earlier in the day at a favorite local restaurant.

 

My son had gone with me to a widow’s house in our church, to help clean up her yard. Three hours later and a pick up bed full of garbage, we left for the dump. After unloading, I told my son that I wanted to take him to lunch.

 

Being faith supported stateside missionaries, our budget ran extremely tight from month to month and the last few months had been a bit tighter than usual. But, I wanted to take him to lunch for being such a help to me and had told him to pick the spot. And so we went to his favorite Mexican restaurant.

 

We stood in the line with others who had come for lunch. In front of me was a gentleman who watched as my quesadilla was being made.

 

“What is that she’s making?” he asked, looking on.

 

“A quesadilla” I replied.

 

“Boy that looks good,” he said.

 

“Yep,” I answered, “It’s really good, but then,” I added, “it’s all good!”,

 

He stepped to the cash register to pay for his meal and shortly after him, we stepped up to the register to do the same.

 

“Drinks?” the host asked.

 

“Two small drinks.”

 

“That will be $2.17.”

 

I stood there dumbfounded.

 

“That can’t be right. We had this and this,” I said as I pointed to our meals.

 

“It’s still $2.17. The gentleman in front of you paid for your meals.”

 

I glanced over toward the front window where he was sitting and then looked at my son.

 

“Go ahead and sit down. I’ll be right back.”

 

I walked over to where this gentleman sat. “I wanted to thank you for what you did.”

 

He smiled and said it had been his pleasure.

 

“You can’t imagine the blessing that was to us,” I said.

 

“You’re very welcome. Every once in a while God tells me to do something like that and so I do it. That was one of those times.”

 

After a few more words were exchanged, I went and sat with my son and we had a wonderful lunch together.  For only $2.17…

 

My mind returned to the music as I sat there in the first rows of the worship center, and tears filled my eyes.

 

Because God is indeed faithful.

 

Because all I had ever need, His hand does provide.

 

He proved it anew earlier in the day through a man I had never met before and will most likely, never know this side of heaven. And He was showing me anew, as our worship pastor played that old hymn, all we need – His hand provides.

 

It was a reminder of God’s goodness.  A reminder of His faithfulness.  And, it was a reminder of His merciful love.

 

Yes, great is Your faithfulness indeed, dear Lord. Great is Your faithfulness, Lord unto me!

How has God shown His faithfulness in your life lately?