"Finances, not tiredness, that's what gets to him. He's too overwhelmed to get up. He doesn't want to face what he has to face today. Me? It's not finances..." "The root is fear," said the Holy Spirit. Light bulb. Ding ding ding. I finally understood.

Financial fear was my husband's giant! I had watched him get up before dawn for over a year, waking me in the process as he tried to be quiet, put on his walking shoes, and head out to pray. Long days and late nights couldn't keep him away. But today was the third day in a row that he was too tired and needed to sleep in. He was exhausted from carrying the weight of financial responsibility at work and home.

Financial fear was my husband's giant; but our God is so big, He can take down a giant with a pebble! My husband knows this. He's read it. He's preached it. But, it's easier to encourage others than to live encouraged. Isn't it? This reminds me of one of my son-in-law's favorite sayings, "Hello, I'm God. I'll be handling your problems today." Just last night at dinner with friends, we heard a mini-sermon about the truly humble act of giving our cares to God. In doing so, we recognize that He is capable of handling them and He sincerely cares about each one, because He sincerely cares about us. I couldn't help but wonder if this was a test of trust; if we were going around this mountain again because we have yet to learn that God is able to provide all we need according to His riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). He doesn't lack for anything and He wants to take care of us.

"We are faithful. We tithe. What else can we do?" I've heard this desperate question over and over. I usually say, "That's all we can do," but that's not all; we can truly trust. Our mountains are between valleys, and we travel them both in this life, but we don't travel alone. The longer we live the more familiar the terrain becomes. There are mountains and valleys we have seen before and we anticipate the joys and challenges of both. But when you travel a valley in the winter, it looks different than when you travel through it in the springtime. The first time you climb a mountain you might run out of water, but the next time you climb that mountain you'll bring an extra canteen. God prepares us for mountains and valleys; Holy Spirit is our guide and travels with us; Jesus prays for us every day on our journey and He does miracles along the way.

I'm not pretending to be unconcerned about our needs. I also don't know how God will solve this. I usually give Him a few ideas and then remember, His ways are not my ways, and His thoughts aren't my thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). We have changed some of our routines in order to save money and we are making more changes. I know in the long run, all things will work out for our good (Romans 8:28). We are learning self-control, patience, and many more fruitful things; and we are asking God for direction.

What I do know is, the reason David took down Goliath with a single stone was because David came in the name of the Lord (1 Samuel 17:45). The Lord is victorious in battle, (Psalm 24:8) therefore, David had the victory. Like us, you may be facing a giant right now. I'm not sure how hard the fight will be or what God will use to take the giant down, but I know this, with God we are already victorious!

Praying for you today,
Mechelle

Further Reading:
1 Samuel 17
Psalm 24:7-10
Philippians 4:6-7
1 Peter 5:7
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Kill the Giant by Jamie Jones

My husband was the first to read this post, and he gave his permission to share it. Pastors are not superhuman, nor are they divine. They are walking out their faith every day, just like the rest of us. Selah.