The Little Blue Box

The Little Blue Box

Philippians 4:19

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

 

Several years back when my youngest daughter (now 26yrs old) was in Jr. High school she was right in the middle of a growing spurt and really needed some new dresses to wear to church.  We were struggling financially and at the time my husband was NOT serving the Lord.  One Sunday afternoon my husband was looking in the check book and noticed I had given money to the church.  This made him angry.  He wanted to know why I had given $52 dollars to the church.  I told him it was a tithe.  His reply, “Your daughter needs a new dress and you give fifty-two dollars to the church, what are you thinking?”  I explained that God wants us to trust Him and even if we have a need, we must give back to the Lord.  After all, God will provide the dress.” The look of disbelief in my husband’s eyes was clear as he said, “Sure God will provide, by me going to work more hours to bring home more money.”  “No! “ I said. “God will provide without a single penny from you.  Just you wait and see.  He will provide a dress, before next Sunday.”  Not accepting what I was saying, my husband spoke up one last time.  “Yeah, you say He will provide but you will just go to church and tell everyone and then someone will give you a dress.  That is not God providing as far as I am concerned.”  I paused a moment and then spoke softly, “Look, I will not tell a single person about the need, not even my closest friend. I won’t even mention it in the form of a prayer request and you will see that God will still provide the dress.  Just wait and see.”  With that, the discussion was over.  However, what I didn’t know was that my youngest daughter had been standing outside our door and heard everything that was said.  But God was about to reveal Himself to each one of us in an amazing way.

 

As the week went by I prayed believing that God would provide. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. No money. No dress.  Thursday, Friday still nothing and my husband was watching how I was responding to this waiting period.  I had to keep going into my quiet place within my heart and talk to the Lord, reminding myself of His faithfulness.  However, late Friday night I told the Lord, “Father, I hope I did not speak out of turn by telling my husband that You would provide by Sunday.  I know it is not my place to set your timing for things to happen.  But please, Father, reveal Your faithfulness to my husband.”

 

Saturday morning my three daughters and I were discussing what we should wear to the Mother Daughter banquet we were asked to sing at. Since my youngest daughter had no dress to wear we would wear black pants and white shirts. All through the discussion my thoughts drifted to the reality that it was Saturday and God still had not revealed where the money or a dress would be coming from.  Tomorrow was Sunday and without the dress my husband was sure to be even more irritated about the $52 tithe I had given and even more convinced that God does not provide.  That evening I went into my closet to change clothes for the banquet and fell on my knees, crying out to God.  “Father, it is Saturday.  I am struggling here.  It is not that I do not trust You to provide, it is that I do not trust me to believe you will provide and if I show my family my struggle they will doubt You.  Oh please help me have faith.  Please Father, give me peace. In Jesus name, Amen.”  I got up off my knees, wiped my eyes dry and got dressed.  Without realizing it, when I came out of the closet I had forgotten all about the dress.  My husband told me it was time to leave.

 

The banquet was wonderful.  While my daughters and I sang, my husband and son helped to serve the meals.  At the end, the pastor thanked everyone for coming and had the closing prayer.  After he said “A men” he pointed to the ice machine. Sitting on top of it was a little blue box.  He said. “It has been a wonderful evening and we want to show Bunny and her daughters how much we appreciate them coming and singing for us. So as you leave please drop a love offering in that little blue box for them.”  I am not sure what he said after that.  I was so excited because at that moment I knew God had just showed His faithfulness to provide.  I sat up in my seat and pointed to my youngest daughter and said with a great big smile on my face, “Your dress, there it is, God has provided for your dress.”  I couldn’t wait to get the box, count the money and then stop at the dress shop on the way home.  That is just what we did. 

 

It seemed as if my daughter tried on every dress in the store. While she was looking a lady that had seen us at the church stopped to talk to me. I knew it was a God appointment for sure as she spoke about her husband not serving the Lord. Time passed and my daughter couldn’t find a single dress to fit and it was now too late to go anywhere else. As we drove away I noticed my daughter was crying, “What’s wrong sweetheart?” I asked her.  “Do you think God is mad at me?” she asked. “Why would He be made at you?” “Because I didn’t pick out a dress after He gave us the money for it?”  She said through her tears. “Oh no sweetheart, God promised He would provide and He did, but He used the time you were looking for a dress for me to minister to the lady you saw me talking to.  She was going through a hard time and I was able to encourage her and tell her about God’s faithfulness. You just wear pants to church tomorrow and then afterwards we’ll go get you a dress.” My husband looked and me and said, “Go get a dress and the shoes if she needs them, but then I want you to give any money left over back to the church.”  I agreed.

 

Well, we did get my daughter’s dress and shoes.  We were all in awe of God’s faithfulness. But God still wanted to give the whole story one last finishing touch.

 

When we returned home from shopping that Sunday afternoon, I took out the leftover money and gave it to my husband, so he could deposit it in our bank. Then he sat down and wrote a check to the church. The amount on the check was $52 dollars!  The very amount that my husband was angry I had given to the church he was now giving back to the church. That little blue box event began a journey for my husband to trust in the Lord and He now is a faithful man of God serving and teaching God’s word. My daughter later told me she had been listening and thought I was crazy, but when God provided the money, well it became a reminder to her of His faithfulness as she grew up and it would give her the encouragement she needed through 7 years of college and even now, as she serves on the other side of the world in Bulgaria with the Peace Corps. She is trusting in His faithfulness to provide her needs and we trust Him to keep her safe and bring her home again. 

 

Well, 12 years later and we still have that little blue box as a continual reminder that our God does provide our every need. He can and will provide yours as well.

 

Dear Father,

Thank You so much for showing us Your faithfulness and in so doing growing our faith in You. How blessed we are to be Your children and how honored I am to call You my Lord.

 

In Jesus name

Amen