Today I came across a personal letter from a long-time partner. Her letter included a personal gift. Later that day I sat down to send her a thank you letter. As I wrote, the Lord spoke something to me about the gift she had sent. He said it was His hand of faithfulness extended. I love that. I simply could not get it off my mind, I continued to meditate on it for the rest of the week.
Did you realize, when you bless someone or sow into a need, you are releasing God’s hand of faithfulness in the life of that person? It’s true! You are.
I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 10:35
The Bible is clear, it is much more blessed (empowered to receive) when we give to others. Not only that, but when we give to others, we give to God, just as Jesus said in the book of Matthew.
For I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ Matthew 25:35-40
Each time we give to someone, we extend the hand of God to them.
Words can’t even explain the feeling we get when someone meets a need that only God knew about. When we experience that, we truly experience the wonderful faithfulness of our God. Only He can place us on someone else’s heart in that manner and only He can compel them to meet that need. I have been on both sides, the giver and the receiver and I can honestly say, it feels awesome to give and find out you met a need you had no idea of. It is my prayer that with this new insight, God prompts me more and more to meet the needs of others, that He would allow me the honor of extending His hand of faithfulness to someone else.
Another thing God spoke to me about this was… “when we sow His hand of faithfulness extended…we reap His faithfulness extended.” Isn’t that awesome!
Proverbs 19:17 says, “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given.” When we give to others, the LORD pays us back. The Lord, Himself, repays our giving to others. He is Lord of the Harvest, and He brings forth our harvest as we release our seed in faith.
It’s just like it talks about in the book of James, when we give, we put action to our faith – which, according to the Bible, means our faith is ALIVE…
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus, also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:14-17
My friends, the next time God prompts you to give to someone and you obey, remember this truth…you have just extended the hand of the faithfulness of God. What an honor that is. And the next time you receive a gift from someone, who didn’t even know the need, receive it as the hand of the faithfulness of God being extended to you. For it truly is God, Himself, meeting your need. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
