MY THOUGHTS on Stormie OMartian's "The Power of a Praying Wife"
Chapter 3: HIS FINANCES

It's said "money makes the world go 'round", so I wasn't surprised to have "His Finances" come next in our book to pray about.  Stormie says, "Much of who your husband is and what he experiences in life is wrapped up in how he relates to his finances (p.55)."

I have to tell you, whenever I think of my husband's giving personality... I can't help but remember the first time I really saw it in action.  We were on our first camping trip... young and in love (well, I was young anyway... tee hee).  We had went up north to Kakabeka Falls and were having a wonderful time (because you really could have had us anywhere... we were alone and in love (and I was young, remember).  Anyway, there was a group that was biking and they spent the night next to our site.  The next day, they packed up and left... leaving one of their friends behind.  I don't remember what we noticed first about him... the hacking, coughing & wheezing or the tree he brought back for firewood (and I do mean a tree). 

This man proceeded to cough up a lung throughout the evening and it made my supper very unenjoyable.  Soooooooooooooooooooo, you can imagine my surprise when Mike invited this VERY sick man to have supper with us... without even asking me!  We fed him and found out that he quite possibly had pnemonia.  He wanted to go to the doctor the next day but didn't know if he could make it into town... (you see what's gonna happen next right?) so Mike said we would be leaving the next morning and would be more than happy to take him in and drop him off.  He would need to find a way back, but at least he could get there.

I remember, after the whole experience was done, thinking about what had happened.  I had never seen anything like it.  I was even a little put out wondering why Mike would want to ruin our time together.  But when I asked him why he would do such a thing, his surprise surpassed mine at the very question.  "How could I NOT help him?"  I learned a lot about Mike during that vacation... and it didn't stop there.

Over the years he continued to surpass that "giving attitude" time and time again, and when we were financially able, he gave in the same way.  I remember the first anonymous gift he gave and once again, I was in unfamiliar territory.  "Why would you give something and not want anyone to know?"  I had never heard of such a thing... and he just responded, "that's not why I'm giving it."  And so I learned the joy in truly giving and I loved it.  I was sure that God (who had now become a part of our life) would have us bless others financially forever, and we were so happy to do so.

Skip several years and things began to look much different for us financially.  My husband had a business with his brother and after losing a very large account that sustained the business, things began to get pretty tight.  With the decline in economy, as well as construction (it was a decorative concrete business), things didn't look good.  We kept praying for God to provide a job that would make it better, because in that kind of business, one job really could take care of everything and put us back in the black.  We were sure God would do that... we were sure he wouldn't let things end this way.  (For those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile, this time period was when I came back to blogging after being gone for awhile.)

But... things didn't get better... and we began to sell things to make ends meet.  I remember the first check that was given to us for $500.  We had never received anything like it... WE had always been the givers.  We tried to say no.  We knew that the people who had given it to us weren't really in a situation to do what they did, but they also knew what we were going through... we needed food for our family.  They loved us and felt, "how could we NOT help you?"  (Sound familiar?)

Over time, as things got much worse, the years of my husband's giving came back to us in many different ways and it was a very humbling time for us both.  Mike had to set aside his pride, because it's much easier to give than to receive... and yet, we were reminded by those who gave that we were a part of the body of Christ and that if we said "no" to someone's generosity, it would be like telling someone who had the gift of hospitality that they couldn't help, or someone who had the gift of service that they couldn't serve.  These people had the gift of giving... and they were doing that...

We have been through hell over the past couple of years.  We have lost so much financially.  To watch my husband lose the business he created from the ground... to watch the stuff auctioned away... it killed me because I knew he felt a part of him was dying... that a part of him had failed.  Finances DO play a big part in how a man feels about himself... but the character of a man also shows through how he handles his finances as well... and there was one month when we had been given $60 cash and when my husband came across a man that he knew needed "more than us"... he gave it to him without any hesitation.  He did the same with tithing (giving 10% of what he made), for He knew that any money given to us, whether it was his paycheck or cash given to us, that it all came from the Lord and belonged to the Him and so "how could he NOT give it back?"

There is something amazing when there is a complete and total trust in God that He will provide.  I've come to realize that it may not always be like I think it should be... or even as timely as I would like... but I have a husband who rests assured that it will all be okay.  I know there are times when he struggles... because there are so many things he would like to give to his children and me too, and even though he cannot give financially as he once did, he is giving of himself as never before, promising God that he will do whatever He asks of him.  For now, God has asked him to plant a church... and so he will... but I know that if he sees a need... he will fill it, even if it means giving the last $5 in his pocket... for he knows first hand that God will provide because He always has... and when you truly believe that... you look at money not as the world does... but as God does.

Don't always think about what you will eat or what you will drink, and don't keep worrying. All the people in the world are trying to get these things, and your Father knows you need them. But seek God's kingdom, and all your other needs will be met as well.  Luke 12:29-31 (New Century Version)

MY PRAYER: 
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for blessing me with such a giving man.  Thank You for all of our financial struggles as well... I know they have made us stronger and closer.  Through the toughest of times, we have found each other when we had no one else in this world who understood.  Thank You for blessing me with a man that I know is really there in better AND in worse... because we have weathered some pretty crappy times.  Lord, I'm not asking to be financially rich, but I trust You to take care of us... and I ask that You would encourage Michael.  I can't imagine the load he bears in providing for our large family.  I know He trusts You Lord, but I know he is still a man... and I know he thinks about it.  Money is such an "earthly" thing... we know it... and yet bills need to be paid and the mouths around the table need to be fed... but You have never let us starve.  Thank You also, for making us so rich in other ways... our health and our many blessings of children including the new life growing inside me.  Thank You for a man who truly sees children as a blessing from You. Thank You for bringing us to this moment in time Lord... thank You for the promise of a future... I have come to a point where I can honestly thank You for all the tears I have shed because of the need for money in one way or another... because it has drawn me closer to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.


It's not too late to join us for the month of June as we pray for our husbands!  You can check out more about it by clicking the following link: S.H.M.I.L.Y. for 30 days of prayer...  Please share a link to your blog post if you've made one on this chapter!