Have you ever opened your electricity bill and said, “Thank you, Lord”?
I usually say, “How much?”But the other evening, I looked at mine a little differently.
I thought of the lamp I read by, the fan that kept me cool, and the refrigerator I opened three times in the hope that something new might pop up.
Then I thought of a mother in a city darkened by war, sitting beside her children and wondering whether the next sound would be an explosion. How precious the everyday hum of a refrigerator would be in that room, or even the light in her room.
Then there’s the property tax bill.
I tend to look at the amount before I look at the address. But there it is, right on the bill: my home address. It’s where my family comes home. I’ve thanked God for that home often enough.
I just hadn’t thought of the tax bill as a reminder to do so.
It's good to give thanks to God before asking Him for a favour!
Now, let’s look at the unpaid bills. In Matthew 17, verses 24 to 27, the collectors ask Peter whether Jesus pays the temple tax. Peter is troubled but brings it to Jesus, who tells him, “Go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up.” In its mouth, Peter would find enough to pay for both of them.
Again, in John 6, verses 5 to 13, Jesus asks Philip where they can buy bread for the crowd. Philip works out that even two hundred denarii would barely buy everyone a bite.
A boy has five barley loaves and two fish. Jesus takes them, gives thanks and feeds the thousands. Afterwards, the disciples gather twelve baskets of leftovers.
What stays with me is that Jesus first gave thanks, just as we should thank God for our home before asking Him for the means to pay the tax.
Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide. Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket.
When all we can see is the amount due, let’s ask God to help us open our eyes. And when we do, it might be a call we’ve put off or a piece of work we hadn’t thought to ask for.
Psalm 33, verses 18 and 19, reminds us that the Lord watches over those who fear Him and hope in His steadfast love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
So when the bills arrive, open them. Rejoice in the remembrance of what God has already given you. Then tell Him what you owe and how much you have.
Ask Him to show you where to cast your hook.
Ask Him to open your eyes. Then keep an eye on the thicket. Abraham never expected to find a ram there..!
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