Woman Of Promise: Letters To The Single MotherSample

Day 2: Promise: God will provide for you.

Dear Single Mother,

God will provide for you and your children.

I know it may be difficult to believe when you glance at your stack of unpaid bills and wonder if you will make it this month. While my single-parent family fit within the classification of “lower-middle class,” I experienced frequent falls into situational poverty. It was not uncommon for my bank account to be nearly emptied by the third week of each month, leaving almost nothing for food and gas for the following weeks. When payday finally arrived, I immediately spent money on food, rent, utilities, and gas to regain a sense of security. This vicious cycle repeated month after month, year after year, leaving me in a constant state of need, vulnerability, instability, and desperation. 

And at some point, after I had grown weary enough, I defined myself as poor, and the world as a place of scarcity. I took this belief into my spirit, allowing its tendrils to wrap themselves around each area of my life, and soon everything seemed of short supply. Money. Love. Ability. Grace. Beauty. Knowledge. Time. Sleep. Joy. Friends. Faith. Blessings. 

Do you define yourself as poor, dear one?

Allowing this “spirit of poverty” to seep into our spirit taints not only our perception of the world, but also of God, and serves as a form of bondage that prevents us from embracing God’s promise of abundance. 

Does God promise us earthly riches? 

No. He promises an abundant life. 

When we shift our focus away from the want of this world and place it on God the Provider, we exchange our spirit of poverty for a spirit of abundance. Instead of concentrating on our small apartment, old clothing, and lack of a savings account, we are more inclined to thank God for housing our soul, clothing us in righteousness, and storing treasures for us in heaven. This change of perspective dramatically changes the way we receive the blessings of this life, both large and small. 

Will we still struggle with money? Yes. But instead of approaching the throne of God with the empty hands of a beggar, we go before Him as daughter of the King, standing in full confidence in His ability and willingness to provide for His children.

And that shift in identity changes everything.

Believing with you,
Michelle Lynn Senters

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!" Luke 1:45 (NIV)