God’s Provision in the Midst of Economic Troubles

Last Updated on March 20, 2018

How many times have you heard the saying, “You can’t out give God”? Yet are you, like me, surprised when you see that truth in action?

A few months ago, I felt moved to start researching another type of therapy for my autistic daughter. The more I learned, the more I became convinced that this would help Rachel learn to interact better with the world. The problem? It was expensive.

My husband shared with his prayer team at work that we were praying about this decision. A few days later, one of his coworkers handed him an envelope and said he and his wife felt led to give this to us for Rachel’s therapy. My husband didn’t want to take it. He brought the envelope home and left it on a shelf. It sat there for a few days before either of us had the guts to open it. I came downstairs one day after bathing the kids to find my husband sitting on the couch and staring at the wall. He didn’t quite look at me when he spoke. “They gave us a third of the money for Rachel’s therapy.”

I sank onto the couch. I’d never expected that much. Tears sprang to my eyes. “What do we do? Should we take it?”

He shrugged. I later called my mother-in-law and told her the story. Her reaction put my heart in the right place. She told me how much joy she and my father-in-law had always experienced giving to others, how marvelous God was to provide in this manner, and this was a sign that we were doing the right thing.

I hung up the phone and had a little prayer time with God. I’d been so wrapped up in my pride, I’d failed to see the bigger picture of how God blesses people through both giving and receiving. I felt so humbled. To my recollection, this couple has never even met Rachel. There are billions of needy people in the world, yet they chose to help Rachel. Furthermore, there are a host of luxuries this couple could have chosen to buy, yet they sacrificed and shared with us. In my thank you to the couple, I said that I hoped that God would someday allow us to give to others in their example.

Just a few weeks later, both of our parents gave us the rest of the money we needed for the first six months of therapy, a sacrifice for all of them, especially considering the media’s fixation with economic crisis. Wow.

In case you are wondering, the therapy we are going to start in addition to Rachel’s speech, occupational, and physical therapy is called Relationship Development Intervention (RDI).

Jennifer Dyer

Jennifer Dyer has an M.S. in Communications Disorders, which served her well in her professional career as a speech-language pathologist. Never did she imagine that her education and career were God’s way of preparing her to be a mom to her own daughter with autism. Today, she enjoys reaching out to other families who face similar diagnoses. As a cancer survivor, carpet-cleaning veteran, and originator of the “Messy House Ministry,” Jennifer feels blessed to share joy, peace, and humor with others facing life’s challenges. She is mom to two beautiful daughters and is thankful to be raising them, serving other families with unique needs, and using her gift of writing and speaking to minister to others. Jennifer is also the author of a youth fiction book series and is trusting God with His timing on publication. Jennifer has been a mom for 11 years. She and Brandon have been married for 13 years.

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