The Lord will Provide!

The Lord will Provide!

By Lionel Simmons

I have found that whenever I put my trust in the Lord's promises and am determined to live my life according to His principles, no matter what, He always provides for my needs. He often blesses me beyond what I could have ever imagined.

My wife and I had recently become Seventh-day Adventists. We had already been tithing faithfully for more than seven years. Now, determined to be a faithful Sabbath keeper also, I was prepared and fully expected to lose my job as a service manager at an auto dealership. In fact, I was ready to resign, but my pastor encouraged me at least to talk to my boss about my convictions.

To my surprise, the Lord intervened and allowed me to keep my job for another year. While I was there, one of the men who worked under me began asking about my convictions regarding Sabbath observance. Eventually, I gave him Bible studies, and he was baptized into the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

My employment at the auto dealership came to an end when my boss asked me to participate in an unethical business practice. When I declined, I was dismissed. Amazingly enough, I immediately found another job where I had Sabbaths off.

Not long after this I moved to Chicago and enrolled at an electronics school to learn radio and TV repair. I wanted to start my own business. Of course, I had to work to pay the school bill and support my wife and family; times were tough. I vividly remember the day we realized that, after returning our tithe, we had only two dollars left until the next week's paycheck. Not only did we make it through that week, but we were always able to pay our bills and have food on the table.

Within a few years, the Lord helped me to establish the largest electronics and appliance dealership in our area. This amazed my competitors, since I was closed every Sabbath, normally the best day for sales. After five years in my own business, my weekly tithe was greater than my weekly salary had been when I was working at the auto dealership.

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you" (Matthew 6:33).

Lionel Simmons is a retired businessman and member of the Summerville, South Carolina, Community Seventh-day Adventist Church at the time this story was written. This story was shared in the recent ARK-LA Conference newsletter but comes originally from the book Over and Over again, published in 1998.

To download this week's blog or prayer requests, click here!

World Church Prayer Requests

August 19-26, 2018

PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for those suffering after the recent bridge tragedy in Genoa, Italy. Pray that God will be a comfort to those who mourn and that the local churches will know how to minister to those suffering.

PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for the many believers around the world caught in the midst of war and conflict. Pray for God to be their protection, their provision, their comfort, their strength.

PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for our young people as they begin another school year. Pray for God to give them many divine appointments in this coming school year, appointments that will draw them into a closer walk with Him.

PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for the struggling marriages within your church. Pray for God to mend wounds and bring healing and unity. Pray that the enemy will not be successful in breaking apart homes in your local church.

PRAYER REQUEST: Pray for church members who live alone, whether as divorcees, widows/widowers, singles or because of some other circumstance. Pray that God would take away the loneliness and pain that so often knocks at the door and will fill hearts with His joy.

PRAYER REQUEST: Pray especially for the leaders of your church—your pastor (including his family), your local elders, deacons, deaconesses, etc. Pray that God would give them a renewed vision and passion for service as they start this new year. Pray that God would bring a fresh personal revival to their life and ministry.

Join the Discussion

United in prayer

A global prayer movement including 777 and 10 Days of Prayer, in which hundreds of thousands of people have participated.