Money

Sitting on the floor in the hot shower, tears streamed down my face with the same intense force as the water from the spigot above me. I felt like my heart was caught in a vice grip closing a little tighter with each gasp I drew in and sob I cried out.

“Why are you letting this happen to me, God?”

My finances were a wreck. I was working full-time and trying to be a good mom, but I had still fallen behind on bills. My temporary solutions were digging a deeper hole as if applying Band-Aids could help a hemorrhaging wound. And on this day it was only going to get worse. Not only was I going to have to try to avoid the pre-school director because my kids’ tuition was past due, I had also received notice that my vehicle would be repossessed that afternoon.

Looking back, I see how God used these circumstances to show me more of who He is.

3 Things I Learned By Being Overwhelmed By My Finances

1. God is greater than our circumstances.

I cannot say I successfully avoided the pre-school director and my vehicle was not repossessed that day; however, I did see God’s hand all over my circumstances.

The director greeted me upon arrival and I apologized for my kids’ late tuition payments. Afterward, we talked and found a solution by creating a payment plan. That afternoon, God showed up again. I took the past-due financed vehicle to the lender’s office and turned in the keys (saving them the trip and me the additional embarrassment of repossessing it while I was at work). A family member met me there and graciously helped me get a more affordable used vehicle. God is always at work in our circumstances for our good and His Glory.

2. God’s plans are greater than our plans.

Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares The Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

Even on our worst days, there is hope! God has given us a living hope through Jesus’s death and resurrection. If you are a follower of Christ, you have received the gift of eternal life (1 Peter 1:3-4). No matter what we face on earth, knowing that Jesus overcame death and we one day we will, too, gives us a reason to hope.

If we can trust Him with our eternity, we can trust Him with tomorrow.

Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow but instead earnestly seek Him (Matthew 6:27-34). God has a plan for all of our tomorrows. If we can trust Him with our eternity, we can trust Him with tomorrow.

3. God is for us, not against us!

When the world closes in and there’s nowhere else to turn, we are not alone. Let’s get real. If God were out to get us, we would be got by now! The moments when we feel like all we can do is pray are the moments when we recognize prayer is our greatest weapon (Matthew 21:21-22). Prayer isn’t one thing we can do, it’s the best thing we can do.  

Now, I have resolved to stop asking, “Why are you letting this happen to me, God?” Instead my prayers are, “God show me what I need to learn through this circumstance and help me trust that You have overcome.”

If you’re overwhelmed by your finances, you can overcome. Trust God and ask for help.