I recently shared a story with a friend, in awe of the details God had arranged, and asked if she could comprehend how awesome He is. We both agreed we would need eternity to do that. I cherish times when I get small glimpse of just how intimately involved He is in the details of our lives, arranging and rearranging them for our good. I love when we get to see the ripple effects of His divine grace in motion.
Several years ago, I found a wonderful Christian debt management program to help me target and eventually eliminate a portion of old debt that I continued to carry. I began making monthly payments, and by God’s grace alone, I’ve been faithful to make those payments on time every month. It’s been a blessing, for sure, especially as that debt has continued to decrease. But recently, I still had a couple years left until I’d be free of it. Needless to say, the longer the journey, the heavier the weight seemed. I longed to be rid of it, but there was no additional room in our budget to change it.
Seven months ago, God gave me a clear message that He wanted the old debt gone, and He put it on my heart that He would make the remaining 22 payments turn into six. Aside from an unexpected windfall, or working twice as much as I currently do, I couldn’t see how that would be possible. Yet, walking out in faith, I put every extra dollar I could find toward the payment. To my surprise, unexpected blessings began to follow, and five months later, the debt had significantly decreased to about four payments. And that’s where God dropped a divine pebble, creating a ripple effect to handle the rest.
The other day, a client sent me a large sum of her remaining balance much earlier than it was due. When I received the blessing and questioned her about it, she said, “Well God blessed me, so I’m blessing you.” And that’s when my ears perked up. The client’s son was scheduled to go on a missions trip for which he was funded by a generous sponsor. When the missions trip was cancelled due to COVID-19, the son offered the money back to the sponsor, who refused it, instead advising him to “bless someone else.” The son graciously gave it to his mother, who gave it to me.
God knew all along about this trip. He knew when it was scheduled, and He knew when it was cancelled. And He used the generous hearts that rippled out from His grace to cancel my debt through a canceled missions trip. The unexpected payment covered the remainder of my balance, which will be my sixth and final payment. He turned the 22 payments into six! And actually, I haven’t worked more in these past six months. With my kids being home, I’ve probably worked less than I normally would have. And the weight of this monthly payment being removed will likely free me up to be there for my kids even more. As I told the client, she got choked up. She already knows how good our Father is, but to recognize her small part in His divine ripple effect is magnificent. We never know how God will use us to bless another. I’m looking forward to the heavenly day when I’ll be able to thank all those blessed souls who cooperated with His plan to cancel my debt in more ways than one.
