A
TIMELY GIFT

Topics: Dependence on God; God’s Faithfulness; Needs; Providence; Provision; Trust

References: Genesis 22:14; Isaiah 61:1–4; Matthew 8:23–27; 17:27; Mark 4:35–41; Luke 8:22–25

On a recent service trip to the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged coast of Mississippi, we worked at a home that was owned by a retired United Methodist pastor. Rev. Jones said he and his wife had left their home before Katrina struck and gone to a shelter. After the storm passed, they were allowed back into the city to grab a few belongings. When they entered their house, the water was still knee-high, but Jones was determined to see what he could salvage.

Jones saw several framed family photos floating in the water. He didn’t see anything else to save, so he grabbed the pictures and left. Back at the shelter, he took the photos out of their frames so they could dry out. When he removed his father’s picture, money fell out of the frame. He was astonished to count out $366. Even more astounding was that his father had died in 1942, when Jones himself was only twelve years old. He had no idea the money was in the frame.

The money was precisely what he and his wife needed to go to Atlanta after the storm to live with their daughter.

—Douglas Heiman, Evansville, Indiana