THE POWER OF GOD TO PROVIDE

I am amazed at the power of God to provide. I want to share a testimony with you of supernatural provision. There are times in ministry when seasons of drought seem to come. I usually look at these times as God pruning times. My old nature needs to be changed from glory to glory. God knows that he is going to provide but sometimes He wants to see our response when pressure comes.

Does hardship bring you to God or does it make you turn from Him. I saw an old movie from the 1930’s recently. It was a comedy about the people of the hills in West Virginia. There was an old man who was poor, and he was going to lose His land if he could not come up with $100. At one point in the movie, I witnessed a funny prayer. The man said to God, “I am going to give you a chance to help me, but if you do not then I will have to help myself.” This meant that he was going to steal in order to get what He needed.

It was a humorous scene but truthfully, I don’t want my faith to be like that. I don’t want to stop believing God and begin to do my own thing when times of hardship come. In fact, hardship, if you allow it, has a way of changing you from glory to glory. In the hard times we have an opportunity to learn that God is king over your situation. There is nothing that you will face that He will not see you through.

Psalm 46:1-3 says, “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”

And another wonderful scripture is Isaiah 41:10 which says, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

There is a promise that God will be with you at all times.

Recently, I was out of money. I look at these situations as interesting. I know God. I know Him enough to know that He is working a miracle in a way that I have not seen. To put it another way, I know that when things don’t flow the way I expect God is about to do something that I did not expect. It is impossible for God not to take care of me. He has to because I am His son and I obey His directions for my life.

Our father is a covenant keeping God. He cannot fail us. He does what the bible says that He will do. Those of us that are in Christ, serving Him faithfully have many testimonies of supernatural provision. We have seen miracle after miracle. In the many years that I have served the Lord I have learned His faithfulness. This faithfulness keeps me strong when scoffers come saying there is no God. His hand upon my life sustaining me all these years proves to me that there is a God.

I was travelling for ministry last weekend and I saw another miracle. One of the scriptures that God gave me early on was from Matthew 10:6-10 which says,

But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.

This scripture God gave to me when I first got saved. I could not open the bible unless it fell to this passage. That was 19 years ago. I hated reading this scripture because I knew that God was calling me to travel and believe for finances for it. The scripture and His small still voice inside of me witnessed to the call that He was leading me to. When I was 16, I had hands laid on me by an evangelist and I had impartation of an office gift. I knew my life would eventually be a tool in the hands of the Lord.

I had no money left in the bank and I had need of $1000. I tried to raise the money using my usual techniques, but nothing came. When that happens, I know that God is setting me up in a different way. There is no use trying to figure out in these moments, or in any moment, how the money will come. We must just believe that God is able and trust Him until it does come.

I was at a campground with my family, and I had ministered that morning in a meeting, but no offering was given. The people at the camp are very generous to our ministry. They support us monthly and every year they give us free passes to a water park for the kids and a spot to park the RV.

But our cash situation was not good. Our mortgage payment was due, and the money had not come. So, I just prayed, and my wife prayed, and we went to the camp and did what we normally do. We prayed for the sick, cast out devils and lead people deeper into the heart of God.

Sunday evening came and it was our last night there, so I took the children for an ice cream at the store. A woman saw us who knew us from social media, but I didn’t know her. She said, “So this is the Canning family that is being used mightily by God all around the world.” You get shy when people speak like that.

She then said to us, “You know I have been carrying an envelope around in my purse for quite a while now because God told me to. I didn’t know who it was for until now. The Lord is telling me to give you this envelope.” She placed it in my hands, and it was thick.

When we got back in our van, I opened it and there were twenty $50 bills in there or $1000. The exact amount we needed for our mortgage payment. God is so good. He provided in a way that I did not expect but He provided, nevertheless.

I want you to know that you can trust God. He will never leave you, nor forsake you. One of my favorite scriptures is Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” It is the truth. It is how God operates and those that enter into relationship with Jesus through the cross will experience it.

I pray for you today that your faith will arise. I pray that all your needs will be met according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19).