The Faithful Provider

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.  (Philippians 4:19)
 
When my wife Ginger and I first got married, we were very poor. I was serving in my first full-time church position, and I was paid $130 a week. We lived in the parsonage next door to the church, which the church provided. We didn’t have much of anything to put in the house. In fact, our first table was one of those big cable spools. We just put a tablecloth over the spool and that was our table. 
 
Even though we were poor, we chose to practice tithing. It didn’t make sense, but we learned to tithe. We gave 10% of what God provided every week, and trusted Him to take care of us.
 
Because Ginger was having to do our laundry at a laundromat down the street, we really needed a washer and dryer of our own. We were living in East Dallas and sometimes that area was not very safe. Accordingly, one of the first things we were praying for was a washing machine and dryer. She took a college course in Home Economics and did a research project on washing machines. With that in mind, she had already picked out the brand and color of the appliances she wanted.
 
We came across a verse in Scripture from Philippians 4:19 that says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”  We just began to pray this prayer, believing that when God provided the resources, this would be the first big thing we would purchase. 
 
One Saturday morning when I was out running errands, and Ginger was at home, the doorbell rang. Ginger went to the door and a delivery man said, “I have a delivery to make for you.” She said, “We didn't order anything.” He said, “It’s a delivery of a washing machine and a dryer.” She said, “We didn’t buy anything.” He said, “It’s already paid for.” Once the delivery man confirmed the address, Ginger said, “Come right in!” 
 
This was a couple of weeks after we were praying that God would provide these appliances. They immediately installed the washing machine and dryer, and wouldn't you know it? They were the exact same brand and the very same color that my wife had already researched! 
 
Even today, we have no idea who provided that washing machine and dryer, except God! We didn't tell anyone that we had a need. We just laid it at the altar of God and backed away. This has happened in our lives time and time again.