By now, most of you following these posts would have heard that the Lord provided a provincial grant to our church specifically for upgrades to the security of our property.  After all, not long before this, our church was broken into and things were taken.  What is not known to many apart from those who attend our Tuesday night prayer meeting is that the offer to apply for this grant was presented to us a fortnight before the break in.  As something only the Holy Spirit could orchestrate, I decided one morning to look into a listing of grants that was offered by the Ontario government, and this one with an unprepossessing title of an “Anti-Hate” measure against charitable organizations stood out like a sore thumb. I remember skimming past it several times, but kept coming back to it till I surrendered to an inner prompting to read its contents.  “We would like to assist you with improving the security of your premises,” it read, ”Cameras, security lights, fences, bars…” the list continued.  Without a second thought, I recommended to our Leadership that we proceed with it, and one of our individuals wonderfully gifted with administration helped with the application.  Two weeks later, we were broken into.

In Isaiah 65:24, the Lord declares, “Before they call, I answer; while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”  The Psalmist wrote, “Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.” (Psalm 139:4).  And Jesus said, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8).  It is in these gentle reminders that God taps us on the shoulder of our anxiety wearied lives and says, “Don’t look anxiously around.  I am at your right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).  Through this journey of life that He set us on, we often take detours because we think we have a better plan or because we are guided by our fears rather than our faith.  Then something like what happened with this grant calls us to attention.  “Trust Him!”  It is not the vastness of the amount that was given to us (though we are grateful for every mite), but the manner in which God gently nudges us to trust Him.  Curiously, there were no questions as to what we would spend the money on; it was just deposited directly into our church accounts.  As a result, the security lights around our premises have been completely paid for.  And I am waiting with bated breath to discover just how closely the amount that we were granted would match the final bill for our planned upgrades!