God of Surprises!

(A True Story)

Can’t Fix This

Sometimes, we’re faced with problems or situations that are beyond our ability to do anything about them. That, however, doesn’t keep us from trying to turn over every leaf, rock or stone to eliminate the problem, stress and anxiety that comes along with it.  But there are times when our backs are completely against the wall and there’s nothing we can do to resolve the situation.

I had one such problem some years ago. So, I decided to ask for help from God. I am a Christian and being a Christian doesn’t eliminate doubtful or fearful thoughts. In my heart, I believed God could and would help me, but, I knew it would be a fight to hold on to my faith. I drew a line in the sand and said I’m going to trust God no matter what and no matter how long it takes to see the problem solved. I told Him that I was tired of struggling with doubt and wanted to stand by faith to see Him fix the problem. Now, if you believe that God will answer your prayer, you have to show your faith by some act. You cannot walking around worrying about it if you expect Him to do something about it. I told Him that every time the thought came to me about the problem or if I felt fear or doubt, I would say to Him, “It’s your problem, you solve it.” I know that sounds simple but, that was my way of letting Him know that I believe He’d come up with the resolution. I said to Him that no matter how m mind screams at me that He wouldn’t do it, I would say “It’s your problem, you solve it.” regardless of how I felt.

So, Here’s the Problem

I needed to have Sears to come and treat my house for termites. They had treated it every year I’d been in the house. I used my Sears credit card to pay for the yearly pest control contract. But, having done that for several years, the credit card had maxed out. Now, I had to come up with another solution. This is when I decided to just trust God to help me.

Too Much for God?

The yearly contract was $1,500. Since, it was now over a year, I thought it might be more than that. I decided to ask God for $2,000.00 just in case. After asking Him for $2,000.00, I put my foot down and was determined to keep believing no matter what!

Put Up Your Dukes

Time passed and I would say to God, “It’s your problem you solve it.” At times, it took all I had to get those words out of my mouth.  There were many doubtful thoughts that came to my mind.  I’d seen God answer what seemed to be an impossible prayer before but, it wasn’t something that could affect my life in a negative way if it wasn’t answered.  So, the fight to believe wasn’t as hard. If I didn’t get my house treated for termites, it would not only damage the house, but could affect the resale value of it. So, I “needed” help; not just wanted it.

Look Out Something’s Coming

One day while at work, my boss called me into his office and asked me how much money I wanted to make. I told him $100,000.00 per year. He told me to be serious, of course. Then I told him $30,000.00 a year. I was only making $27,000.00 per year at the time. He then said, “how about $34,000.00?” I was shocked. He went on to explain that the company had decided to increase everyone’s salary to the national level for their position. $34,000.00 was the yearly salary for my position.

Are You Kidding Me?

He went on to tell me that because I had been with the company for many years that I could get that increase in a lump sum for the first year. Afterwards, it would be spread out over the year in each paycheck. He showed me how much I would get if I decided to take the lump sum increase. The amount was a little over $4,000.00.

Is It Hot in Here?

Have you ever gotten a great surprise you weren’t expecting? If so, you probably know that being that excited you actually start to feel warm, and your heart starts beating fast. God not only gave me the $2,000.00 that I’d asked for, He gave me double what I’d asked for. I was so excited! I knew this was not a coincidence but a direct answer to my prayer. Now, you’re probably feeling warm just reading this right? But hold on! That isn’t all! The next day, I decided to give Sears a call to come and give the inspection and spray for termites. But the thought came to me to check with other pest control companies to do comparison shopping before I call Sears. I decided to all Orkin.

Didn’t See that Coming

Orkin sent a technician to my house. We went to my basement, and he shined his flashlight up into the planked ceiling. He showed me little dirt-like houses where termites live and said the houses were hard (touching them as he spoke). The technician said if I had an infestation of termites that the little dirt-like houses would be soft and easily movable. It had been almost two years since the house had been treated. He said that I did not need a contract. Then he laughed and said he’d sell me a contract if I just wanted one.

What Just Happened Here?

I began to feel that warm feeling rushing over me. My heart started beating fast. I knew that God had done something even more amazing! He not only gave me double the amount I’d prayed for, but He made it so that I didn’t need any of the money to do what I thought I needed it for in the first place. Do you feel warm too and is your heart beating a little faster?

He’s a Parent Too

This showed me that God cares about all we go through. If we truly trust Him, He will give us even more than we ask for. We love to surprise our children, don’t we? Well, our Heavenly Father does that for His children. There is a scripture that says, “Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians Chapter 3 verse 20). So, that says it all!

He’ll Do it For You

To sum this experience up, if you’re in a very hard place and faced with a seemingly impossible situation or problem (no matter what it is), just put your trust in Him. Refuse to let go until you see the miracle working hand of God! Your act of faith may not be to say, “It’s your problem, you solve it.” Just show Him something to let Him know that you believe. Then hold on to your faith like a bulldog. You don’t have to be perfect; you just need to have faith!

Copyright Jacquelyn Lott “All Rights Reserved”