Dear Friends,

God Provides.

So often we forget this simple truth: Our great God and our Heavenly Father provides for His children. Not always when we want and not always how we want — but God provides. His provision is a reflection of the fact that our Lord cares for each of us with a love surpassing anything we could ever imagine.

We say that we believe that God provides, but too often, when push comes to shove, our first response to crisis is to fret rather than to cast all our cares upon Him who cares for us.

So today I want to offer you a big dose of encouragement by sharing a very personal story about God's provision.

Two days ago, my CFO was having a very hard conversation with me. In all of these years of ministry, we have never missed a payroll for my staff. But this week, and with less than three days till the checks had to be issued, our coffers were bare. My CFO informed me that we were $10,000 short of what we needed.

In this time of recession, I am sure we were not alone. Many businesses and ministries are feeling the pinch. Knowing this is one thing, experiencing it is another, especially when it means not making payroll.

For many months now, my dear staff has been pouring out their hearts to encourage and build up the Christian family in America. I have been so proud of them. And I have been so proud to watch their faithful devotion through numerous conferences, publishing projects, films, and, of course, the Reformation 500, which was a profound blessing to each of us. I love my staff dearly. Honestly, I think I have the best staff of any Christian ministry in America. And the thought of not being able to provide for their needs was really hard.

My CFO and I talked about the problem. We reminded each other that God has met our needs in the past, and that He has preserved and protected this ministry through thick and thin despite the fact (as we are keenly aware) of how undeserving we are of such mercy and love. We encouraged each other to have faith in God and we committed the matter to Him.

But we needed the money now. Payroll would be distributed in 48 hours. That meant we needed the money by the next day to make sure we could have it in the bank by Friday.

The next day came. But there was no sign of any special provision that would help us bridge the gap.

It was a hard day for me. Quite honestly, I was distracted, and I spent time sinfully fretting. I worked from home that day and would sometimes walk outside to pace and pray. Beall saw me do this, and she sent me the following note:

“Doug, the Lord will take care of us. Remember our theme: Protection and Provision. He is going to show us how He cares for us.”

Five o’clock came and went. The business day was over. Our $10,000 deficit had not been replenished.

But then providence shined — literally, Providence. My son Providence came struggling in the house with a huge box that had just been handed to him by our UPS man. The box was addressed to me. Our family gathered around and opened the package. Inside was a beautiful photograph of a grizzly bear catching a salmon in its mouth. You may have seen the photograph. It is pretty well known. There was also a letter inside. Here is what it said:

Blessings to you my brother! The Lord laid you on my heart (when I saw this photo). It was taken by a very godly photographer named Ken Jenkins, who shared with me how this bear stands patiently and waits (on the Lord). Then when the timing is right, he goes after what the Lord sends to him and redeems the opportunity. So when you see this, think about this message to you. Wait on the Lord and then redeem the opportunities He sends to you. This gift is a tangible investment in helping you do this. I thank God for you brother. Since our conversation, my family has been having wonderful family devotions in the Word each night. I’ve been teaching other men around me to do it as well. I’m forever indebted to you for your counsel that night — it’s helping me obey Deuteronomy 6.

Inside the letter was a check for $10,000.

The dear man who sent the check was not a regular donor to our ministry. I am confident that this was a sacrificial gift. And yet, for some reason, the Lord motivated this man to be a conduit of provision for this undeserving ministry. The timing was providentially inspired. The amount of the gift was yet another reminder of the absolute love of God for His children.

I am holding the check in my hand, and reading the numbers again — $10,000 — right now while this letter is being typed. And once again, I am reminded of how very small I am and how very big God is.

God provides!

	Persevero,
	Doug Phillips President, Vision Forum Ministries

P.S. I want to also thank each and everyone one of you who have been used of God for the provision and protection of this ministry to the Christian family in America. Your prayers and support have been a source of great encouragement. To learn more about how you can support the work of Vision Forum Ministries, click here.