Jehovah-jireh
"The LORD will provide."
This past year has been... wow. But let's start at the very beginning.
In May of the late 1990s, God provided me with a good family that loves God. They took care of me, even when they left for college or just life in general; they taught me right from wrong; they taught me to follow God.
Fast forward to August 2008. God provides my family with a new home, a new state, and a new job for my dad. God provides friends for me, many of whom I am still friends with, though a few I am not. God provides new experiences for me and my family.
Now to July 14, 2010. God provides His salvation. He saves me.
June 2011. God provides a youth group for me. I have fun, make more friends, and learn about God. However, I also begin a process of mind-altering - forming my opinions based on what I'm told to believe and do and say, not because of my conscience or the Holy Spirit. So, God provides lessons that I learn from later on in life.
Summer 2013. I go to a new camp and God provides a new best friend, definitely one of the best.
Summer 2014. I go to music camp and God provides another best friend.
Summer 2015. One of my best friends leaves me - for good reason though. God provides more lessons, and even better best friends. God provides a sister in-law. 2015 is the year that everything changes.
For years, until about March 2015, I blamed myself for a few incidents that were never my fault. I believed they were my fault because that's what I was taught. So because of that teaching and that fact that I was so naïve, I fell prey to depression. But I eventually overcame it. Overcame depression and overcame the teaching that it was my fault. So, God provided an escape, life, and freedom.
Spring/Summer 2016. God provides a niece. I decide to serve at a camp with my best friend for a month. God provides a calling - a calling to serve. During that month, God provides hardships for me and my best friend to overcome. And we do. Also during that month, God provides closure. Closure for those feelings I kept bottled inside since my former best friend left me. In fact, there is so much closure that we become friends again, but we don't become as close - for good reason.
Fall 2016. I attend public school! God provides education that I need in order to graduate properly in my state. And He provides more friends to help me through the school year, and my already best friendships get closer.
2017. God provides advancement in life: I graduate and get a job.
2018. God provides opportunities to advance at my work.
Since the summer of 2016, I struggled with being single. It was one of the biggest burdens of my life. I was feeling lonely and I often turned to things I probably shouldn't have. But God provided ways for me to escape - ways to escape the life I didn't want, and ways to find happiness. He provided a new friendship, which is now something more. Both of those gave me an escape.
Now, you've read my life story. But there are so so so many more things that God provided that I didn't mention. For one thing, God provided confidence over the years. I couldn't put that into one summer or year because it took years for me to become completely confidence, and to this day, I'm not confident in everything.
But I post this because today in church, my pastor's sermon was on the God of all comfort. He provides comfort when we praise Him, when we thank Him. And throughout my life story, I praised God in every situation. He provided strength for me to go on during my depression. And He is still providing peace and comfort.
And I can never thank Him enough, because He just provided someone that I can enjoy being single with. Being single was one of my biggest insecurities, but now I don't worry about it anymore. Because God provided.
This past year has been... wow. But let's start at the very beginning.
In May of the late 1990s, God provided me with a good family that loves God. They took care of me, even when they left for college or just life in general; they taught me right from wrong; they taught me to follow God.
Fast forward to August 2008. God provides my family with a new home, a new state, and a new job for my dad. God provides friends for me, many of whom I am still friends with, though a few I am not. God provides new experiences for me and my family.
Now to July 14, 2010. God provides His salvation. He saves me.
June 2011. God provides a youth group for me. I have fun, make more friends, and learn about God. However, I also begin a process of mind-altering - forming my opinions based on what I'm told to believe and do and say, not because of my conscience or the Holy Spirit. So, God provides lessons that I learn from later on in life.
Summer 2013. I go to a new camp and God provides a new best friend, definitely one of the best.
Summer 2014. I go to music camp and God provides another best friend.
Summer 2015. One of my best friends leaves me - for good reason though. God provides more lessons, and even better best friends. God provides a sister in-law. 2015 is the year that everything changes.
For years, until about March 2015, I blamed myself for a few incidents that were never my fault. I believed they were my fault because that's what I was taught. So because of that teaching and that fact that I was so naïve, I fell prey to depression. But I eventually overcame it. Overcame depression and overcame the teaching that it was my fault. So, God provided an escape, life, and freedom.
Spring/Summer 2016. God provides a niece. I decide to serve at a camp with my best friend for a month. God provides a calling - a calling to serve. During that month, God provides hardships for me and my best friend to overcome. And we do. Also during that month, God provides closure. Closure for those feelings I kept bottled inside since my former best friend left me. In fact, there is so much closure that we become friends again, but we don't become as close - for good reason.
Fall 2016. I attend public school! God provides education that I need in order to graduate properly in my state. And He provides more friends to help me through the school year, and my already best friendships get closer.
2017. God provides advancement in life: I graduate and get a job.
2018. God provides opportunities to advance at my work.
Since the summer of 2016, I struggled with being single. It was one of the biggest burdens of my life. I was feeling lonely and I often turned to things I probably shouldn't have. But God provided ways for me to escape - ways to escape the life I didn't want, and ways to find happiness. He provided a new friendship, which is now something more. Both of those gave me an escape.
Now, you've read my life story. But there are so so so many more things that God provided that I didn't mention. For one thing, God provided confidence over the years. I couldn't put that into one summer or year because it took years for me to become completely confidence, and to this day, I'm not confident in everything.
But I post this because today in church, my pastor's sermon was on the God of all comfort. He provides comfort when we praise Him, when we thank Him. And throughout my life story, I praised God in every situation. He provided strength for me to go on during my depression. And He is still providing peace and comfort.
And I can never thank Him enough, because He just provided someone that I can enjoy being single with. Being single was one of my biggest insecurities, but now I don't worry about it anymore. Because God provided.
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