Ain't No Stopping Him Now

I knew that if God wanted me to go to Austria, He would provide the money. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that it would all come in.

But the trip's total cost came to $4,700 and all that I could think was "How am I going to raise almost $5,000 in a little over a month?!" Okay, so maybe I was a little doubtful.

At first I took a indifferent approach. "That's God's responsibility. If He's sending me to Austria, then He'll just have to raise that money Himself." But if I wanted in on His glorious plan for my life, I was going to have to put a little effort in - and I found that out the hard way. With only a few weeks to go, I still owed a lot of money. I was so tempted to doubt His provision, His promises. Why would He send me and not provide?

He gently revealed to me that I needed to get in gear and get on top of the issue. I did, but even my best efforts were feeble. He allowed this so that I couldn't glory in myself. Every cent that was raised was a result of God's grace to me and I can't take any credit - not any. All the glory goes to God.

I have so many people to be thankful for! I still can't believe how many people reached out to me and gave - many of whom had very little resources. I am so touched and so humbled and I told God that the money would not go wasted. I could never earn what I've been given, but I'm certainly going to do my best.

I wish that I could make known every single person who helped me get to Austria. Not just financially, but through encouragement, prayers and challenge. I am so moved by the body of Christ. It's also the accountability that I need right now. To know that so many people have invested in me will be a constant reminder of His faithfulnes and a challenge to walk worthy.

If you have given in any way, I thank you. You just can't know how much it means to me. I admit, I'm moved to tears quite frequently when I meditate on God's goodness through His people. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I guess I should know by now that when God gets an idea in His head, there's no stopping Him. What a blessed reminder that He never goes back on His promises, that He is Who He says He is and that He does what He says He'll do.

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands" (Deut. 7:9).