December of 2004, Grace Baptist Church, having believed led of the Lord to secure 3.08 acres of land for a new building was $45,000 short of the needed money for the down payment due in January of 2005–So we prayed and our Gracious God gave us $45,000 dollars within a month. Fast forward to December of 2006. Having begun the building and approximately half-way through it, we stumbled. We were out of money, had serious problems with several contractors, but none worse than the company over the project (National Church-building Services) who was facing bankruptcy (although this was kept hidden from us). We needed over $50,000 to continue on. We prayed and our Gracious God gave us the needed money to pay off the outstanding balances. February of 2007, we discovered that our contractor was not really a contractor, but was a charlatan who indeed was in trouble. We lost about $250,000 in misappropriation by the contractor, unethical spending, irresponsible hiring of sub-contractors, and other bad things. I started doubting the goodness of God and was certain that we were fools for even attempting to build this building. But we prayed–God removed that contractor for us, and gave us an individual (Amen Const.) to help finish the project. However we still had no way to finish the building. Believing that it would be wrong to stop in the middle of building for testimony sake, and having no other place to meet if we did not finish the building; we prayed for a loan to finish the construction. God provided a loan through an unlikely source and enough to completely finish and move in, in the summer of 2007. Having secured a loan much larger than humanly possible for us to pay off, we now prayed that God would be merciful to us and bring the amount down. God graciously sent us a check in the fall of 2007 for $500,000 dollars to pay down the loan. Due to the damages caused mainly by the original contractor, we still were in a tight place trying to pay the loan. We set aside a reserve to help with payments that was supposed to run out in August of 2008. August came and there was still money in the bank. September. . . still just enough. October. . . miraculously like the oil that would pour out of the vessel until the famine was over, enough for that month. November. . . only enough for December left in the account, but we have learned a valuable lesson. . . we prayed to our Gracious God. December 6, 2008, God graciously sent us a check for $350,000 dollars from the same foundation that sent us the first half-million.
God has taught me so much in the past several years, both about my own lack of faith and his grace. Praise God-our gracious, sovereign King with me for the wonders of his timing and gifts. Tomorrow, I will explain some of the lessons God has taught me through these experiences. Praise to our Gracious God!
This is a great story, Matt. I look forward to your next post. I have a story for you–sort of a touchstone for me whenever I am in a seemingly impossible financial situation.
Years ago when we first got married, my husband didn’t really know how to balance a checkbook–just because no one had ever taught him. So there were a couple of months when it was kind of touch and go with the checking account, since he was handling all the finances, and one month our rent check bounced for no reason we could explain. We got that all straightened out, and he finally figured out how to manage the checking account properly, and so God used that experience in both of our lives at that time. Fast forward about 6 years and two moves. We have packed up everything we own and moved twice. Husband is out of work, and we are short $500 for the rent. We pray about it, and wait to see what God will do. Do we borrow from family? We are uncertain. I am teaching one student at the time, and he can’t sit still, so while I am reading to him, he is sticking his hands into the couch and pulling out a quarter, an old pencil, a broken toy, a check for $500. It was a paycheck that had not been cashed 6 years ago, causing the rent check to bounce and my husband to finally figure out how to balance a check book. So God used that same check in my life twice, once by its absence, and once by its presence. Now anytime I wonder how God is going to provide, I remember that He has already put His answer in place–maybe even years ago, like the check He stashed in the couch for a rainy day. I just need to watch and see what He has already done.
Praise the LORD, Matthew! He is indeed a gracious God!
Cool story Tracy!