So this is just a story, a story about something that happened to me. It has absolutely nothing to do with photography, but it is a story worth telling. The Lord has graciously trusted me with the organization of a women’s Christmas event at our home church. In total I have been coordinating this type of event for ten years, 8 at my last church and now 2 at our current church. I believe coordinating events is a talent that the Lord has given to me, I have an eye for details and can trouble shoot problems before they become a reality. I can spend hours roll playing beverage service and all the potential pit falls, it’s a little bit strange but it’s a good thing when you’re planning an event. I am always very prayerful about the event, I pray for the hostesses to be inspired, and for God to minister to them in a special way thru the planning and hosting of their tables. I pray for my team leaders, who manage the different segments of the event, praying for encouragement and strength to get everything done and that they will be blessed in the process. I pray for the folks providing the music that they will be well, that they will remember their words and that they will experience Jesus in the midst of their service. I pray for the speaker, that God will bring the person that He has chosen to the event and that He will lay His message for the evening on their heart, I pray for their protection and that they will be used by God as vessel to share His heart with us. I also pray for the ladies that will purchase a ticket and come to the event, I pray that God will minister to each and every one in a way that only He could. I understand that while I can plan the event only He can bless it.
Earlier this month, I got an email from a one of the hostesses, she had a lead on a speaker for 2011. Sheri Rose Shepard, who is the founder of His Princess Ministries and has written His Princess: Love Letters from Your King. Wow! Wouldn’t that be cool, but I had been doing this for a while and such a prize speaker would be well outside our price range. I explained my cost concerns in a reply email. Another email came, someone was willing to cover her honorarium! We would just need to cover the travel expenses. Wow! That was pretty awesome that someone would be willing to cover the honorarium but with our tight budget there was no way we could cover the travel expenses, it would still be way over what we have allotted to spend. The subject of Sheri being our speaker was laid to rest.
Several weeks went by and I was doing my morning Bible Study, I was reading the story of a man by the name George Muller, I can’t begin to share his incredible story in this forum but if given the chance I do believe his biography would make for a good read (George Muller of Bristol: His Life of Prayer and Faith). I was so inspired by his unwavering faith in God to provide for him and his ministry needs. Muller himself wrote, “From the moment I asked until the Lord granted it fully, I never doubted that He would give every shilling of that sum. Often I praised Him in the assurance that He would grant my request. When we pray, we must believe that we receive according to Mark 11:24, “What things so ever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”” As I pondered this lesson, I prayed and told God that I wanted to have that kind of faith, that I wanted to believe God. As I sat looking out my front window, trying to let my lesson sink in I remember the emails that were exchanged regarding the speaker for our Christmas event. It was time to put that prayer to the test, did I really want to have that kind of faith, was I really willing to let go and rely on God to provide the money we would need?
I had prayed and asked for that kind of faith and now God was giving me an opportunity to believe in Him. I wish that I could say I skipped to my computer with absolutely no fear that I was about to do something just plain crazy! I was afraid, but I also willing to step out and believe. So on the 18th of February I set the ball in motion, was Sheri still available? Was the donor still willing to cover the honorarium? If so, we would move forward and trust God for the rest. I imaged the road ahead, we would plan and execute all the while praying for God’s provision, He would come through but it wouldn’t be a minute too soon, we would likely be crying out in the final hours and He would show up in some miraculous way. Over the next few days, I receive confirmation that the speaker was still available, a few days later it was confirmed in an email that “expenses will be covered”. There were multiple people copied on the email and I didn’t want them to think we could stop praying about the travel expenses, she was merely confirming that the original donor had agreed to cover the honorarium, so I sent another email to clear up the confusion. A response came “travel and honorarium will be covered”. Ya know people are busy, they have a lot of things going on, it is easy for one to get confused, it would be better to discuss this in person on Sunday.
“Now, you don’t mean that everything is covered, we still have the travel expenses and hotel right?”
“No, I mean everything is covered, travel, hotel, honorarium, everything.”
Stunned silence….
More stunned silence…
“Everything?”
“Yes, everything.”
Tears of awe and joy…
God’s timing is always perfect, He could have waited, been more dramatic, but He loves me and knows me and my situations completely and He knew that not only I but my husband would benefit greatly from a miracle of this kind right now. That’s the thing about God, He loves us so much and He knows exactly what we need and exactly when we need it most. To God be ALL the glory and honor forever AMEN!!
