So today we had this amazing open house lunch at the farm, and Adam walks through the door and says " theres this guy, (ive forgotten his name) who says we should measure a country's GDP according to the size of their wood pile." At which point my heart skipped a beat.
so i said, you what?????
i know, deep hey!!!!
so Adam eloquently explained what GDP meant. ive had to look it up again and this is what i found....
GDP gross domestic product= the total market value of all final goods and services produced in a country in a given year etc etc etc
So according to Adam, we are rich!!! I love this!!!
You see, we don't have two beans in money terms to rub together at the mo, the project has halted, whilst we truly, honestly, completely, unashamedly, humbly , expectantly, wait on God.
If He doesn't do it, it won't get done, not because we are lazy, but because the money has run out.
But according to Adam, and I can tell you, he looked and sounded like a prophet to me, we are rich, because our wood pile is Huge!!!!
And this is how the story goes,
One very very cold winters morning, when we'd only been at the farm a little while, my friend Charlie who runs the garden, popped his head round the door and asked what I was up to?
I was thawing by a poky little fire, longing for a wood burner as the house then had no heating. Charlie chastised me for being such a wimp, at which point i closed my eyes and asked God for some kind word to come out of my mouth as i was feeling very grumpy.
As clear as day God said, tell Charlie a story!
a story says i??? really God???any in mind?????
again He spoke to my heart and said, tell Charlie the story of the Israelites and the manna in the desert, so i did as i was told and I said to Charlie, do you remember from Sunday school the story ..... and he said yes, so i said Charlie as sure as I know that God wants me here, I know that He will provide the wood to heat this place, I don't know where from, but like the manna that fell day and night, God will provide. Charlie looked bemused and that was that, or so I thought, Charlie left the farm at midday, by 2.30, Chris rang and said, have you seen the wood?what wood, says I????
And when I went out side, we had already had 6 lorry loads delivered!!
So two years later, with the mountain of wood cut up, shared and stored, I was musing on Gods amazing provision for every single bit of this place, and wondering how we will ever have enough money to finish this awesome project, when an email comes through to say that there was more wood on the way...the same farmer, the same source of wood, on its way to us!!!!!
8lorry loads, our great wood pile!!!!
I just marvelled and took it as a sure sign that God is on the move again, and His provision is on its way. Don't ask me how, or when, but all I can say, as I said to my friend Charlie, as sure as I stand here on the farm four and a half years down the line, I know because I know, because I know, that help is on its way, because He is so very faithful.
And in Charlie's words to me...you prayed didn't you?
Yep I did.
Adam you made my day. Thank you
God i look to You, I won't be overwhelmed, give me vision to see things like you do.
God I look to You, You're where my help comes from, give me wisdom to know just what to do.
Words by Jen Johnson Bethel California
