When my husband, Joe, and I moved into our current home in Pennsylvania more than 35 years ago, we inherited a massive shed in our backyard. It’s a huge wooden structure on a concrete foundation, and it has an upper level for extra storage. Over the years, we have stored all kinds of things in it, including our lawn tractor, various mowers and other lawn equipment, and even a car. It has truly been a blessing to us in many ways.

Joe realized this year that the back part of our shed was in serious disrepair, and that he should not put off buying some new building materials for it. When he went to the hardware store to make some purchases, he discovered that the prices for the building materials that he needed had tripled in price. As he thought and prayed about our situation, he decided to calculate if he already had the scraps of material in his possession to make the repairs. He came to me with a strange look on his face, and then exclaimed, “God is so good that He already provided us with everything we need to fix our shed!”

I thought about that old familiar verse of Scripture that says, “God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19 NASB) And I marveled over how the Lord knew our needs even before we did, and how He went ahead of us and provided them for us in advance. I began thinking about how Joe and I were deeply in debt for more than 40 years, even though he worked multiple jobs for most of our marriage. We had earnestly prayed that we would be debt free by the time that Joe retired, knowing that it would take a miracle for it to happen. I’m here to tell you today that by the time Joe retired in December of 2019, we were totally debt free. God even graciously enabled us to pay off the mortgage on our house – a mortgage that we had to refinance literally dozens of times because of our other debts.

Just as the Lord calculated everything we would need to pay off our debts before Joe’s retirement, He will calculate all that you need BEFORE you need it. Why? Because God is true to His promises, and He always takes care of His own. Let this precious and powerful promise from His Word encourage your heart today: “Fear the Lord, you His godly people, for those who fear Him will have ALL they need!” (Psalm 34:9 NLT)

Prayer: Lord, help me to believe with all of my heart that You will always go before me and graciously supply all of my needs. Show me how to cooperate with Your plans and purposes in every area of my life by continually seeking You and Your Kingdom first each day. (Matthew 6:33) Thank You that as I resist fear, and keep my eyes and thoughts on You and Your promises, You will prove Yourself faithful every time!