Running away is not an option

Drinking a cup of coffee at my kitchen table, I noticed two squirrels playing on my patio. I rushed to the pantry, grabbed some walnuts and tiptoed outside to feed them. They spotted me and ran up the willow tree. I knew they must need those nuts but rather than running to me they ran away and hid.

I thought about this scene and realized I do this to my Heavenly Father.

I say to Him, “You have never failed me nor forsaken me.”

But what happened yesterday? Yesterday, when I looked through the bills at the office, there wasn’t the money to pay the mortgage on our commercial buildings. We had so many empty offices and I wondered how we would ever fill them. I panicked to the point of wanting to throw up. I wanted to run away and hide. Sell the house. Sell the business. Escape this financial pressure. I wanted out!

I was acting like the squirrels. Rather than running into my Heavenly Father’s arms waiting for His provision I wanted to give up and run away.

I related to the Yiddish Proverb, “God will provide—ah, if only He would, till He does.”

Determined to handle the situation differently this time, I stood up from the kitchen table, stomped my foot and declared,

“That’s it! No more. I will trust you, Lord, I will NOT worry! You have never forsaken me. I have wasted too much time and energy throughout the years worrying about finances. Please forgive me.”

Several days later we were able to make the payment. Within two months all but five of the forty offices were rented. For the first time in four years we were making a profit on our buildings.

“Lord, so often, I find myself in this place of worry overwhelmed with the pressures of business and finances. At times I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on you. You know my situation better than I do and you’re asking me to trust you. Help me grasp the hand that’s holding my provision. Your hand.”

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