Living in the pipeline of God's supply

Are you aware that God knows your name? That his eye is on you and those you love? That he offers you the resources you will need at the right time? Today I want to encourage you to flow in God's pipeline of supply rather than in your own efforts.

I've watched with delight as people with the gift of giving receive resources from God and pass it on. What fun that is for giver and recipient. Unexpected generosity happens twice to us at the beginning of this week.

"He owns the cattle on a thousand hills," said the song-writer in Mazmur (Psalm) 50, "the wealth in every mine." It takes faith and trust to wait and to be confident that God wants to bless you, no matter if you're in a poor or rich season. W and I have been in both.

Some of us have more than others. We set the table for others to eat. Some of us are praying for God to provide for great needs. We eat at those tables with great relief.

Some of us are asking God's direction for the future. Life is not always easy. It's not one success after another. Living under God's hand doesn't mean you can be lazy! You still have to work hard.

But as we give - and take - what God puts into our hands, life becomes abundant and full. You'll look back with wonder and thanksgiving when you live this way.

One morning, I check empty frames to see if one fits the acrylic painting from Bali. Nope, everything we have is too small. Then I remember an abandoned frame. No one wants it though I've tried to give it away many times.

I wander over and am happily surprised. It's the perfect size. Its matte UV-blocking glass won't obscure the bright colors. The mid-brown color of the matting is just right, too. I would never have chosen that shade. This art match shows up together. W helps assemble the frame and lifts it onto the picture ledge.

Sunday, July 17, 2022

Pak Chandra speaks in the morning Gathering at BIC. BIC serves English speakers and people with an international outlook. Most continents are represented this morning.

A group of English students visits. Many have never been in an international church so they are hesitant. They say afterward that they're pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome. Most of us internationals - Indonesian or otherwise - have been strangers in one setting or another. We know how lonely a crowd can feel. So we want everyone to feel at home with us.

Afterward, it's off to lunch at Maxi's for whoever wants to come. We're home before 2:00.

Monday

We're up early enough to walk at 6am. The streets are cool, overcast, and empty. All 3 dogs, including our little visitor Casey, make 2 loops with us. At 2 miles, it's a short walk but the hills and the altitude of Bandung take as much effort as a 6-mile stroll on the flat streets of Bali.

The neighbor's hedge is still flaming. W stands nearby for scale.

Because I am yawning during calls, I lie down briefly and fall fast asleep. I wake 2 hours later in time for lunch. Well, that was unexpected. I joke with friends that we had a walking holiday last week - and now I need a vacation.

The porch is ready for such an indulgence. We eat lunch and drink tea outside. The dry season hasn't come this year so skies are cloudy and it rains every day. Temperatures are a comfortable 70sF (mid-20sC). Of course, I'm in long sleeves and long trousers. It's way too cold for short sleeves and capris.

I brew my third cup of tea (this one peppermint) and start language study. This week's to-do list is full. Write a 30-Days of Believing series for use at Advent or Lent in the coming year. Write next Sunday's talk. 2 newsletters are also due soon.

I grab a scrap of paper and plan the menu for next week's movie night. It's our first movie night in 2 1/2 years. W's off to the wholesaler for supplies.

We do another short (2 mile) walk mid-afternoon, W poses in the lane under bamboo scaffolding with a narrow ledge for plasterers. They're covering up the loose-brick wall overhead.

These layers (starting from W's head-height to the bamboo scaffolding) don't give us much confidence in the strength of the wall. Concrete brick. Stone. Clay brick. Going 3 storeys high.

While we were away last week, Pak G scraped the peeling paint off our neighborhood gate and gave it a whole new look. The tropics are hard on finishes.

Tuesday

We skip our walk to record Sunday's talk. The theme is "better together." We can never reach our true potential without people to help us and people we are helping. That's one reason we love our team so much. 

Most of us meet online this morning but some of us are on the porch. Sam lets Casey snuggle with him during the team meeting. Now that's a happy dog!

Sam's downsizing a restaurant so if anyone needs appliances and other supplies, I'll connect you. We'll rehome one of his commercial fridges for movie night supplies. I've been praying about when and where that fridge would appear - and just like the picture frame, it shows up at the right time.

The yard man points out trees that have seeded and are growing on our clay-tile roof. "You'll get rain inside if you let those roots grow. I can chop them down," he volunteers. He clambers over the balcony planter onto the roof to do that. Yikes. 

How grateful we are for a home, for a venue like the porch, and especially for the helpers who maintain house and yard for the blessing of others. 

"How did you find this place?" someone asks me this week. Well, God chose it for us. It was next door but we didn't know it was here until the owner sought us out and asked us to move in. We also didn't know it would be this full of people week after week.

Let me ask you 3 questions: 

• In what ways does God want to care for you?
• Are you asking for his provision and protection?
• Are you willing to obey him and be generous with what he puts in your hands?

Read more:

*The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets.

"I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the insects in the fields are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats? 

"Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High,and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me." Psalm 50: 1, 9-15

*He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see? Psalm 94:9

*Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, the mighty warrior who saves. Zephaniah 3:16-17 NIV

*Your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:8

*The disciples got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach. John 21:3-4

Moravian Prayer: Sustaining God, you know each heart before the prayer is fully formed. Before the words leave our lips, you have turned an ear to listen. We thank you this day for the blessing of your lasting presence and steadfast care.

Ever-present Lord, we pray for the comfort of your closeness and the boldness to move past our fears. We know we hesitate and carry feelings of inadequacy, but we are ready to move forward with the assurance of you at our side. Amen.