God Always Comes Through

I have to share with you what happened earlier this week.  As usual, my mom was preparing for the annual ladies' meeting at the church she attends, and as I typically do, I agreed to help her set up.  Shortly after I arrived to help on Monday afternoon, I discovered that things were falling apart.  Some of the supplies were missing.  Due to a miscommunication, the freshly baked cookies that were supposed to go in the gift bags weren't going to be there until the following day--the day of the meeting.  And worst of all, the speaker for the meeting had called to say that she wasn't sure if she would be able to make it to the meeting due to an emergency with her husband's health.

Rightfully so, my mom was flustered.  Exhausted from her recent travels to help with my grandmother, she didn't even have the energy to cry, but I could tell she wanted to.  I wanted to cry for her.  As she always does, she had put a lot of time and energy into getting ready for this event and now, because of situations beyond anyone's control, everything was falling apart.

As I sat there staring at the fatigue and frustration in her eyes, I felt the prompting of the Lord.  "I don't mind speaking at the meeting if you need someone to fill in."  I couldn't believe the words that came out of my mouth!  Did I really just volunteer to speak at a ladies' meeting with one day's notice?

"You wouldn't have time to get anything ready," my sweet mother replied.

"It may not fit your theme, but I'm sure I could pull out one of my Sunday School lessons and make it work."  What in the world?  I felt like the dummy in a ventriloquist act.  My mouth was moving, but I was certain those words weren't coming from me. . . or were they?  Despite being amazed at my apparent eagerness to be put on the spot (which I usually despise), I felt completely calm and at ease.  "Really, I don't mind."

A bit of relief showed on her face.  "Well, the theme for this year is love."

All I could do was laugh.  Would you believe that my Sunday School lessons for the past three weeks have been about love?  "Are you serious?" I smiled.  "I think I can handle that."

We praised the Lord for His goodness and provision, went about the rest of our preparations and made plans for the following day.  I was prepared to show up for the meeting ready to speak just in case the planned speaker couldn't make it. . . which, as it turns out, she couldn't.

All during the meeting Tuesday, I sat amazed at how well everything fit together.  The songs fit right in with my lesson, even though they had never been intended to go together.  Testimonies complimented the songs.  The specials went right along with the testimonies.  It was as if a puzzle was being completed right before our eyes, and the crazy thing was that the pieces had all come from different places.

Isn't that just like God?  He met a need before we even realized there was one.  He worked it out so that I would be at this particular point of study in my Sunday School class so that the topic would be fresh on my mind.  He inspired the songs to be sung and the testimonies to be declared.  And He wove it all together into a beautiful masterpiece that I believe brought Him honor and glory.  Even when everything seemed to be falling apart, God sent a beautiful reminder that He has everything under control.  Once again, in a magnificent way, God reminded me that all things work together for good to those who love Him.  He's taking care of us even when we may not see it because that's just the way He is.  How about we take some time today to praise Him!

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing. - Zephaniah 3:17