Over the next few weeks I’ve decided to tell some of the stories of God’s faithfulness in my life. My prayer is that if you have never “tasted and seen” how good God is that you would begin to experience the joy of trusting him. Or perhaps in the past you have “tasted and seen” that God is good, but that experience seems foreign and distant. Take heart! God invites us:

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink—even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk—it’s all free!

Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength? Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.

Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near.” (Isaiah 55:1-3, 6 NLT)

At a very young age I began to experience God’s faithfulness and goodness. When I was twelve, our church launched a “faith-promise” missions campaign. “Faith-promise” is a concept of asking God what amount of money he wanted us to trust him to faithfully provide through us—in this case specifically for missions. I remember being very excited about asking Jesus what he wanted me to trust him for. At the end of two weeks I was certain that God had led me to write down a specific amount on my pledge card.

As the day approached for us to turn in our pledge cards I was ecstatic with anticipation! I really believed that God had led me to a specific amount per week that he would provide through me over the next year as I trusted him. I really saw this as an adventure with Jesus!

That morning on the way to church, my parents knew that I was participating in the faith-promise campaign and asked what amount I had written on my pledge card. I told them, “Four dollars.” My parents looked a bit shocked and asked, “You don’t mean four dollars per week, do you?” To which I responded with a big smile, “Yes, I do!”

My parents paused a moment and said, “Honey, you only get a dollar a week for your allowance. How are you going to give four?” With my simple child-faith I said, “Jesus will provide! I know he will!” And to my parents’ credit they accepted my answer to trust God. As I turned in my faith-promise card that morning I could hardly wait to see what God was going to do.

When I got home that afternoon, I prayed asking God to bless my efforts. Then I ran around to various neighbors and asked if I could mow their lawns and perform other yard work for them. That afternoon I landed three mowing jobs. When fall came the jobs turned to raking leaves and snow shoveling that winter.

There were some weeks in which I did not know how God would provide for that week. But he did! In fact, he provided four dollars for my missions faith-promise offering every week for 52 weeks that year! I truly experienced great joy in seeing him work this way in my life.

Even as a 12-year-old I learned some amazing things about my relationship with Jesus Christ. I learned that he is very trustworthy. I saw that I can listen to him and follow him and that he delights in leading us and working in our lives. I also began to experience a taste of his greatness by watching him provide way beyond my own ability. Finally, I got to savor his love—not only for me for those who were receiving the gifts that he gave through me.

“Taste and see that the Lord is good; Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8 NLT

©2009 Rob Fischer

I had her perched on our kitchen island and I asked her the question (not knowing what kind of answer, if any, I was going to receive), “Hattie, what are YOU going to wear to church today?”  She looked up at me with her beautiful, big brown eyes and peanut butter and jelly spread all over her face and emphatically replied, “JESUS!”  I stood there stunned, speechless, silent.  Then it hit me – was I going to “wear Jesus” today?  Conviction rolled over me, because I don’t “wear Him” everyday.  Was I going to wear Jesus today?  Not just at church where it is easy.  What about the rest of the week, where it is not easy?

In the Book of Colossians it says, “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.  Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another.  Forgive as the Lord forgave you.  And overall these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (3:12-14).  Jesus is love (1 John 4:16) and that love is perfect and complete.  And by us abiding in Christ and Him living in us, his transforming power takes the “grave clothes” of death (John 11:44) off from us and dresses us in His righteousness, contrary to the attitudes of this world.

God is perfect in His timing.  And today He used this two-year-old little girl to speak into my life in a massive way.  I thank God over and over for placing her in my life. And today He used her as a vessel for speaking a challenge that I will remember, keep and live out, by God’s grace and power (because He desires for me to change) for the rest of my life.  What the Lord was saying to me through her was, “Clothe yourself in the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature” (Romans 13:14).

One day at a time, we must ask ourselves, “What am I going to wear today?”  Christ has a wardrobe picked out for us and it is to change into His likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18).  The question is, “Will we open the doors of change?”  He will give us white clothes (sinless and spotless because of His righteousness) to wear (Revelation 3:18) that we need never be ashamed of.