How is that when you give, you receive?

Let me tell you a personal experience. We were in the preparations for our wedding. There were things still needed to be paid. Both Danny and I were working, and together we paid for our wedding. During this time, Danny instead of receiving paycheck was receiving chargebacks (where he had to pay back what already had been paid to him). This situation was not helping us at all. Since I met Danny, he has always been paid on commission, not salary. He works hard and with honesty. But what we were facing was beyond depending on our incomes. The big day was approaching; my salary was not enough; I felt anxious. I even considered changing the date.

About a month from our wedding day an evangelist came to preach on a Sunday night service. He shared how a church in another country worked together to obtain the finances to build a place to congregate. All this during a time of recession. At the end of his message, he made a call to give for the construction of the local church building. I felt a strong prompt in my heart that we should give, but I did not dare to tell Danny because we were short of money for our wedding. That feeling did not go away from my heart; it got stronger and stronger; I couldn’t ignore it. Then, Danny asks me, where’s the checkbook? I answered, “is in the car.” He got up immediately and went to get it.

While he was out in the parking lot, I said inside of me, “if he writes a different amount on the check from the one I have in my heart, I will have to tell him.” When he came back, he handed me the check folded in half. When I opened it, I saw the same amount the Holy Spirit had put in my heart. Chance? I don’t think so. God’s plan? Absolutely.

The preacher invited us to come to the altar to pray and give thanks for the offering. While he was praying, I felt the presence of God very close, like a dense cloud above all of us. Right there I said to the Lord, “You have asked us so little for what you are going to give us.” God’s provision was immediate. The next day, Danny went out to work, as usual, meeting with clients, but what the Lord had planned for that day was a miraculous provision. Business was incredible. We were in awe. It paid off not only the chargebacks but also the rest of the wedding expenses. The big day arrived, and we celebrated our wedding as we had planned it. God is always faithful to His Word!

‘Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.#6:38 Or The measure you give will be the measure you get back.”’ Luke 6:38, NLT