A Moment of Praise – part 6

Moment Ten
Written by: Marco Prinsloo

Time and again I am utterly amazed at the way God provides. Throughout my life and especially throughout this year I have seen God as Jehovah Jireh. There are countless moments and instances I can recall where God has miraculously provided for us as a team or individually, whether it’s on a Luke 10, a travel challenge, or if our food budget is low.

For me, however, I have been incredibly grateful for the way God has kept us safe throughout our travels and ministry this year. One of the values and aspects of Global Challenge is to truly trust God whenever we go into places that people won’t normally go into or to do things that no one would consider doing. I often find myself praying the most during travel days or travel challenges, because I have been in less-than-ideal situations this year, but God has continuously kept us safe and protected us from all harm. Even while doing this, we have found that God never stops using us, regardless of the situation or place we might find ourselves in. God is good and He has blessed us in so many more ways than we could ever consider or think of and I hope that what God has done for us this year will form into testimonies and stories we share for years to come!

Moment Eleven
Written by: Nyasa Groenewald

Ihave learned this year that God does not only provide well for His children but in abundance. But what does God’s provision look like? What does His provision mean?

Do I only acknowledge His provision when it conforms to my checklist of what I need or want? Or do I only thank Him when He provides in the way that I expect Him to? What if He chooses to never increase my income above a certain number? What if in the eyes of the world I am ‘poor’ for the rest of my life? Does that mean that God is not providing for me? Perhaps He wishes to use me through that, in a certain way, for a specific purpose. Who am I to tell the One and only Ruler, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords that He is not providing well for me? I believe that the answer lies in my attitude, I must be content with whatever God gives me and be thankful for every little sign of His provision whether great or small. 

In Philippians 4:11-13 Paul says:

¹¹ “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹² I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. ¹³ I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”

Last year God provided me with finances and work at exactly the right times. Before I even started worrying about finding a job after living off of savings for 5 months, He provided me with a job that both allowed me to stay in the community where I was in Jeffrey’s Bay as well as a job that gave me experience and mentorship from a lovely Christian Speech Therapist in PE.

When I started considering doing this One Year Expedition last year in November, my biggest concern was finance. Not only that, but I wondered: would it be wise to spend a year of my life in such a manner when everyone else my age is settling down, finding stable jobs, building their work experience, starting to buy properties, and getting married? According to the world, this would be foolish. But God has been transforming my way of thinking and I no longer worry what people will think of me for not following the conventional way of life. Not only did He ask me to do this this year, but He also responded to my step of faith by providing for me financially. Throughout the year whenever I have wondered whether there was something I should be trying to do for personal fundraising for my year, the Lord would just tell me not to worry and to just focus on what I have to do at the moment, and He would put my heart at peace. So, although I have not spent any time doing personal fundraising this year, the Lord has provided not only for my whole year as well as for my every need He has also enabled me to bless others as well.

One way that the Lord reminded me of how He cares not only for my needs but also wants me to enjoy His creation and have fun was when we were hitchhiking through Bolivia. We arrived in Sucre around 19:00 and didn’t have a place to sleep. The Lord led us to pray for a man, who then directed us to a church that could help us. In a shared taxi on the way to said church we then met a lady of peace who not only invited us to stay at her home but also provided us with food and money for transport. Additionally, she also gave us money specifically for seeing the city and doing tourist activities. Provision in abundance!

This morning I read in 1 Timothy 6:17-19 where Paul tells Timothy to:

¹⁷ “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. ¹⁸ Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. ¹⁹ In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

In verse 17 it struck me that God richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. He not only provides so that we can live but also so that we can enjoy His creation.

What a good and loving God we serve.

May you be encouraged to seek to be content wherever you are and to see His goodness in every small and beautiful provision that comes from His hand.