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…and He saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.”
Luke 21:2-3 (ESV)

With no husband by your side, do you turn to the Lord with your spending and giving decisions?

Fortunately, while my husband was alive, we shared the management of our finances. I was accustomed to sorting out spending decisions before making them. Still, I found a terrific Christian financial manager. Together we planned for me to stay home with my kids to homeschool and giving and saving with a good balance that gives me peace of mind.

It’s good to have that peace of mind when you are faced with even small decisions on how to spend or give. This happened when a friend wanted so badly to join a group of us who were headed for an off-Broadway play in our city.

“Oh how I wish…” she said, but we both knew her husband had just lost his job. So when I felt inclined to offer to get her ticket, I was grateful for the foundation of prayer and good financial planning I had done that put me in a position to act when I felt the Lord’s prompting to offer.

You want to know you are doing the right thing when you feel the Lord prompt you to help someone just as it’s written in Psalm 119:60:

I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.

So, I offered. It wasn’t huge, but it would help her so much!

She gushed with thankfulness, and perhaps a hint of embarrassment.

“Oh, but the Lord told me He’s got your ticket covered,” I said, honestly not really understanding what the Lord meant by He’s got it covered.

Sometimes you don’t know why the Lord asks you to do things. After all, when the widow in Luke 21 put in her two mites, did she have any idea the Lord Himself would use her giving as an example of true giving for the world to read about for millennia to come? Jesus said,

“…this poor widow has put in more than all of them.”
Luke 21:3 (ESV)

Sometimes He asks you to give, not because someone needs your provision or He plans for you to go without. Sometimes He has something surprising in mind.

Before I had a chance to buy the ticket for her, my friend called Janet, a mutual friend, for a ride to the show.

Janet’s response: “Oh, guess what! I have a ticket that a friend couldn’t sell, so not only will I drive you, but you won’t need to pay for getting in!”

We marveled. Had I hesitated about obeying the Lord to offer to cover her ticket, she wouldn’t have asked Janet for a ride, and Janet might have found someone else to give the ticket to.

I bet He had this planned all along! By getting her to the show this way, God showed my friend how ready and willing her friends were to help her!

I hope He blesses you today with an instruction to be ready and willing to offer something: your widow’s mite!

Lord, would You please protect the widow with her decisions over her finances? Especially if managing money was something she relied on her husband for. You, Lord, are enough for her. Help her to trust You and build the gifts You gave her for understanding her money management. Help her know that through Your guidance, she can be a good steward! Amen.