The Fingerprints Were There All Along

Part 3: Jehovah Jireh

"And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus." — Philippians 4:19 (NLT)

When I ended Part 2, I told you that just when I thought God had finished surprising us...

The mail arrived.

At the time, I honestly thought the story was over.

Melody had been accepted back into the school she had called home for six years.

We had cried.

We had celebrated.

We had thanked God.

It was a beautiful ending...

Or so, I thought.

What I haven't shared with you is another prayer I had been quietly carrying.

At the beginning of June, my unemployment benefits had ended.

I wasn't working yet.

I was still waiting on God to reveal where He wanted me next.

And while my heart was celebrating Melody's acceptance, my mind was quietly doing math.

June was the final tuition payment for my kids' school.

And I was going to come up short.

Not by much.

But enough that I honestly didn't know how I was going to make that last payment.

The day before all of this happened, I had one of those very honest conversations with God.

"Lord... if we could hear something about Melody by Thursday, that would be amazing."

"...Okay, Friday at the latest." 😂

And then I prayed another prayer.

"Lord... I also need You to provide. Because I don't know how we're going to make this last tuition payment."

I didn't know how He was going to do it.

I just knew He had always been faithful before.

So, I trusted Him again.

The very next day, we received Melody's acceptance email.

But that wasn't the only thing that came.

There was also a check in the mail.

I recognized the envelope immediately because it was from my university.

To be honest, I didn't think much of it.

Every now and then I would receive a small refund check, usually somewhere between twenty and eighty dollars.

So, I smiled and thought, "Well, that's nice."

Then I set it on the counter.

I didn't even open it.

I was too busy celebrating Melody.

I started walking upstairs...

And then I stopped.

Not because someone called my name.

Not because my phone rang.

Just a quiet prompting in my heart.

"Go open the check."

So, I turned around.

Walked back downstairs.

Picked up the envelope.

Opened it.

And just stood there.

I stared at the check.

Then I looked again.

Because surely...

Surely, I wasn't reading it correctly.

But I was.

The amount wasn't twenty dollars.

It wasn't fifty dollars.

It wasn't even close.

It was the exact amount I needed to make the final tuition payment.

Not a little less.

Not "close enough."

The exact amount.

I smiled through tears because in that moment I realized I hadn't received one answer to prayer that day; I had received two.

I don't know about you...

But our God has a way of showing off sometimes.

Not to draw attention to Himself in pride...

But to remind His children that nothing escapes His notice.

He knew exactly what Melody needed.

He knew exactly what I needed.

He knew exactly when we needed it.

And He provided.

Not early.

Not late.

Right on time.

I think that's what I've learned most during this season.

God's provision isn't always loud.

Sometimes it's a virtual teacher who encourages your child when she needs it most.

Sometimes it's watching your daughter grow in her faith through disappointment.

Sometimes it's an acceptance letter after months of waiting.

Sometimes...

It's a check sitting on the kitchen counter that you almost forgot to open.

Can I be honest with you?

I'm still waiting.

I'm still praying for the job God has prepared for me.

I'm still asking Him to reveal His purpose for this next season.

The waiting hasn't ended.

But my perspective has changed.

This year has taught me that I don't have to wait until every prayer is answered to celebrate God's faithfulness.

Because His fingerprints are already everywhere.

They're in the prayers, He answered.

They're in the prayers, He's still answering.

They're in the doors He opened.

They're in the doors He lovingly kept closed.

And they're in the quiet moments when He whispers,

"I've got this."

If you're reading this while you're in a season of waiting, I hope you'll remember this:

Don't only look for God at the finish line.

Look for Him in today's provision.

In today's peace.

In today's strength.

In today's unexpected blessing.

Because sometimes His greatest miracles aren't found in one life-changing moment.

Sometimes they're found in the fingerprints He leaves along the journey.

And once you learn to recognize them...

You'll start seeing them everywhere.

With grace,

Raquel

Holy Hustle with Raquel

"Keep looking for His fingerprints... because the story God is writing is always greater than the one, we imagine."