The more you get to know the Lord, the more you recognise that he is an extravagant God. His design of the universe displays his generosity and creativity. In the Bible when Jesus miraculously provided food for 5,000 men, which with women and children probably means around 15,000 – 20,000 people, there was more than enough food for everyone plus there was loads left over! Our God is more than generous.
When Simon Peter gave the Lord a loan of his boat so that Jesus could sit in it and preach to the crowds, the Lord showed his outstanding generosity to Peter. It is recorded in Luke 5:4 that after Jesus had finished teaching, Jesus told him to go into the deep waters and put down his net. As an experienced fisherman, Peter knew that it wasn’t the right time of day to fish and also informs Jesus that he and his friends had worked hard all night and caught nothing! However, Peter goes on to say that because Jesus was telling him to do it, he would obey. The Lord met his obedience with an incredible catch. Peter had given Jesus the use of his boat not expecting anything in return, but what the Lord did completely overwhelmed him. You can never outgive the Lord for our God is so generous!
I remember a time when we desperately needed a holiday but didn’t have enough money to pay for a rented lodge in a place we had been before. We knew this was an ideal place to go, but when I looked on the Internet, I realised there was only one lodge left but because it was the school half term the cost was hugely inflated. As we prayed, God told us not to call about the lodge until the day before the school holiday started! It was really difficult to wait until the Friday, but we knew we had heard from God and therefore we just had to be obedient. So many times, during this walk of faith, we would get thoughts in our heads which told us that when we called on the Friday the lodge would be gone but we chose to believe God.
On the Friday, I lifted the phone and with my heart beating wildly called the people responsible for the holiday complex. I not only told them that we would like to rent a lodge for the week, but I also asked if they would give us discount. I mentioned that on a previous visit I had paid a much less amount for the same lodge. They laughed at the amount I suggested and said even if they did reduce the price; they would never reduce it by that much! They said there was a lot of interest in this lodge so they expected it to be rented by the end of the day, however they did say they would call us later if the lodge was still available. We continued to hold on to God’s word and in faith we began to pack our cases! At around 4pm, they called me to tell me the lodge was still available and asked, “How much would you like to pay, Mrs Goudie?” I told her our price! We got the lodge! God answered our prayer and provided a holiday for us. Our God is mega generous. When you are in need, when money seems short, when the impossible raises its head, then remember the power and the generosity of God and believe that he will provide for you!
