Article July 9, 2001 ISSUE

Paying the bills with God's help

It even works with taxes.

By Elaine Lang

When our four children were young, we lived modestly—mainly on my husband's income—so that I could be a stay-at-home mom. We trusted God to supply us with the good ideas and direction to provide the things we needed. We also realized that because our lives were governed by God's law, which is always good, we wouldn't be penalized for this decision.

One winter our finances were particularly tight. Just two weeks before the property taxes were due, we realized we simply didn't have the money to pay them. There had been unexpected family expenses.

When I realized the shortfall, I turned to God in prayer and thought about these words: "The 'divine ear' is not an auditory nerve. It is the all-hearing and all-knowing Mind, to whom each need of man is always known and by whom it will be supplied" (Science and Health, p. 7 ). I had no doubt that Mind would take care of our needs, including paying our taxes. God had never failed us. We believed the Bible promise "My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19 ). Just because we couldn't see how we would get the tax dollars we needed just now didn't mean we would question our faith.

Our winter finances were tight. We simply didn't have enough money to pay the property taxes.

A week before the taxes were due, I got a call from a small film company for a one-day job. I occasionally provided catering on location for this company and several others. Some months I had no work. The arrangement was just fine because it didn't take me away from the family. I agreed to take the job, even though it was going to be small. The amount I would be paid was based on a per-person charge. It would depend on how many participated in the shoot. Sometimes the number changed during the production, so I always prepared extra food to accommodate any on-the-spot increases.

The day of the shoot, the cast and crew turned out to be much larger than expected. I was grateful that I'd had the idea to over-prepare—there was enough to feed all.

As I repacked my van after the meal, the production supervisor handed me a check. When I subtracted out my expenses, the amount remaining covered the tax bill, with five or six dollars to spare, I was thrilled with this new proof of how precisely God provides for us.

There are no mere coincidences when you turn to God for help. Our Father's care is dependable and unfailing. There's nothing random about it.

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