^“Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts.  But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44

I was widowed in early 2006. Some months had passed and circumstances had gone from bad to worse in the business and financial area of my life. The business that I had started with my late husband had all but dried up… the money that I was earning from another job had also disappeared when that job ended. I was a thousand miles from any family, alone and down to the last of my dollars.

It was Sunday morning while I was driving to Church that I felt such a burden on my heart because I was not able to give anything in the Church offering that morning. My checkbook had just $12.83 remaining after paying my other bills that month. Yet my car insurance bill had showed up in the mail and they wanted somewhere around $30.00. I had no idea where that money was going to come from. Things didn’t look good.  I was without resources, business prospects or family to rely on…  I was sad, alone and desperate.

Alone in the car on my way to Church, I cried out to Jesus that I needed a financial blessings. This was not just tears of sadness; this was one of those really ugly cries. You know the kind I mean. My heart was grieving; because I had nothing to give. I cried out with all that I had.

I rode in silence for the next 20 minutes or so, just thinking over and over that I had nothing to give. And then I heard within me… “you have money in your checking account”. I rolled my eyes and said to myself. “Ya, right I have $12.83”… “you have money in your checking account”. I heard the words again. This time I took notice of the words. I knew the voice; I knew what I had to do.

I got to  the Church a few minutes early and pulled out my check book. In an almost bratty voice I said, “Okay Lord, Here I go, I’m trusting you. You promised You would never leave me of forsake me, and I’m holding You to it.” And with that I wrote a check for $1.28. I gave that check at the offering and prayed that it would be blessing.

Several days had gone by when a former customer from my nearly defunct business called saying that she needed some new work done on her website that I had written. We made an appointment for the next day.

I hadn’t seen her in many months, since my late husband funeral… it was great to catch up. She asked how things were going.  Was I good? Was I alright? I can’t really explain why, but I knew that time for me to share anything about what was going on in my business and financial life. I answered her questions with “Oh life is going great”. I just knew that my burden was not hers to carry.

After a while, we talked about the work she wanted done I gave her a price that the work she wanted would be $300.00 and it would take me a couple weeks to complete it. We agreed on the price.

Over coffee, we chatted more about this and that. After an hour or so, she suddenly got up and went to her purse to get her checkbook. “I need to pay you now”. I said that wasn’t necessary, it would be fine to wait until the work was done. “No. I need to pay you half now”; and with that she wrote a check for $150.00.

She handed me the check and I just smiled at her as tears welled up in my eyes.  She asked me why I was smiling, what was wrong? I then told her the entire story of my business, my finances and the $1.28 check to the Church just four days earlier.

With the biggest smile, she praised Jesus for putting it on her heart to write the check that day. She did wonder though why I didn’t ask for half payment when we agreed on the price. I told her I didn’t know why I didn’t ask, just that I didn’t feel as I was supposed to say anything at that time. I asked her why she had to write the check and she told me that something in her heart told her to. We both knew why she wrote that check.

On that day, and oh so many days since then I have trusted in the Lord that my needs were going to be met by HIM alone. I kept my silence. I trusted in Him and He blessed me more than a hundred-fold. He IS my Jehovah Jireh – He is My Provider.

© 2006 A C Cuddy