Therefore, do not be anxious for tomorrow;
for tomorrow will care for itself.
each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matthew 6:34
The national financial situation has been a nailbiter for the last few weeks. Some days, when I can’t stand any more gloom and doom, I turn off the radio and throw the newspaper in the recycling bin. Sometimes I feel like duct taping myself to a chair so I won’t peek at our investment accounts or phone a broker and shout, “Sell, sell. Take anything we can get.”
Things aren’t much better for my personal business prospects at the moment. With my manuscript due on January first, I cleared my calendar of most paying jobs so I can meet my deadline. Since the book contract didn’t include any advance and royalties won’t be rolling in for a year or more, my recent experience with cash flow is negligible.
The other day, I filed the payment stub for the last bit of substantial writing income I will receive for the next few months. Every fiber of my being wanted to hustle a few more paying jobs, even though I don’t have time for the hunt or the writing. “Well,” I told myself as I slammed the file drawer shut, “it’s time to totally rely on God to provide.”
Gulp. See, I’m not very good at total dependence, though I’m tolerable at partial dependence and outstanding at taking over for God whenever I think He needs my help. So to make me completely dependent, God pretty much had to duct tape me to His wrist by clearing my schedule and giving me this deadline.
So today as I typed away on the manuscript and tried, rather unsuccessfully, not to think about my business account’s shrinking balance, I received an email. It was from a publisher, who pays pretty well, asking if I was interested in doing some more work for them.
I haven’t answered the email yet. When I do, the answer may be no, because I’m not sure I can finish the job and my manuscript on time. But my answer doesn’t really matter. Neither does the money. What does matter is that God knew how much I needed a little reminder about His dependability. And He provided the reminder when I needed it most.
Because of His graceful provision, I can now focus on my manuscript without worrying about cash flow or the financial times or my next writing job. And as I tap the keyboard, a little praise chant runs through my thoughts: He is dependable. He is sovereign,. He is Lord, even on Wall Street.
