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When I Had Nothing Left, I Learned the Depth of the Words “God Will Provide”

One night, I awoke and noticed an orange glow on the windows of our master bedroom. Somebody’s house is on fire was my initial thought. I jumped out of bed, hurried outside and saw the fire. But the fire wasn’t at someone else’s house. The fire was shooting out of our attic vents.

As you can imagine, I raced back inside to wake up my husband. My mind was not entirely clear, but I did know to do one thing: Get my three sons out of the burning house. I was relieved once we were all safely outside.

Within hours, everything was completely different. The thought, this only happens to other people, was in the forefront of my mind as reality began to sink in. But even in the depths of this type of trauma, I believed God would provide. I clung to that assurance.

In times of deep grief and significant loss, I can assure you that God will provide in ways you’ve never imagined. He provided for us materially with family, friends, and church members giving to us in abundance, and He also held us up when we were fatigued mentally and emotionally from the traumatic experience we endured. God showed His amazing provision in our lives, and then went way beyond that and taught us many life lessons.

Here are three things I learned when our family lost everything:

1. It didn’t hurt as badly as I imagined it would. Sure, I didn’t have shoes, a toothbrush, or a bed, but my husband and my sons were alive. You can purchase clothes, furniture, and a house, but you cannot replace human lives. 

2. It’s the little things that matter. We lost everything. I had on shorts and a tank top when I ran out of our house. That was all I took with me. However, as the weeks passed, we would find things that had survived the flames—like the piece of wood I used to measure the heights of my sons, and a handful of old pictures. Finding these memories mattered more than finding things like my favorite armchair or pair of boots.

3. God owns it all. Yes, this stuff was in our possession, but we would never have owned it had it not been by the miraculous, provisional hand of our great God. And I trusted that, since He had provided once, He would provide again.

You may find yourself in a place of need. If that’s your situation, I’ve got good news for you. God provides for us in miraculous and everyday ways. He sees you and knows your needs and your desires. Ask Him. He loves to provide for His children. He will supply your needs in Christ Jesus. If He provides for the birds of the air, will He not provide for you? He most definitely will.

—Cindy