Thankful Thursdays: God's Provision

Thankful Thursdays: God’s Provision 

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for God’s provision!

Over the course of these past five weeks, God has provided answers to my prayers in sweet surprises that I did not expect!

Ever since last year, I’d wanted to attend the Entrusted Women Conference. However, I had not been able to afford the travel fees along with other fees, and I wasn’t able to go over the weekend (it usually takes place on Fridays and Saturdays which conflicts with the time I spend in church and with ministry related events).

But this year, due to COVID-19, most in-person conferences had to be cancelled because of social distancing and protecting people’s health. So it was announced a few months ago this year that the Entrusted Women Conference would take place online. It would be their first virtual conference!

Delighted, I put a note on my calendar earlier this year to pay the registration fee by the deadline in June 2020. I figured that I would have more work that pays well by then and that I’d be able to pay the fee. However, two days before the money was due, I still could not afford it. I saw the note on my calendar and gave a resigning sigh because I thought that there was no way I was going to have the money in only two days. I deleted that note in my calendar and accepted the fact that I wasn’t attending this phenomenal conference for women communicators of color.

However, minutes later, I saw a new post on the Entrusted Women Facebook Group page from the founder Kia Stephens. She said that someone “just paid for a VIP Registration” to the conference. She suggested that anyone in financial need should send a message to her inbox. I noticed that the time stamp on Kia’s post indicated that she posted this message exactly 17 minutes before I read it. I figured that someone else in our group, which at the time, consisted of nearly 800 women, had already grabbed that opportunity. But as a leap of faith, I decided to apply anyway. And minutes later, I received a message from Kia saying, “You got it!” I was overjoyed!

I was also able to attend because the online version of this conference started on a Wednesday and ended on Saturday of that same week. So I was able to attend from Wednesday right up until Friday afternoon. Then since my VIP Membership included free replays until July 11, I had plenty of time after that Saturday of the conference to watch what I missed that took place after sunset Friday to sunset Saturday.

The conference was truly remarkable! I learned so much from the presenters and the workshops were wonderful! I am so grateful to God for making this happen for me! One point that I didn’t mention earlier: For the past five years since attending my first in-person writers’ conference, I had thought deep in my heart that I’d love to be able to attend more conferences. I had prayed about it too. After almost five years of not being able to attend any conferences, God answered my prayers by making a way for me to attend Entrusted Women Conference in June 2020. He also made a way for me to attend a Christian editors’ conference called PENCON in July 2020!

Now about the PENCON 2020 Conference … I wasn’t sure if I would be able to attend this one either because I could not afford it, even with the discount that I was given as a benefit of being their social media person and for serving on the conference planning team. However, at the last minute before the deadline to pay my fee, a family member surprised me with the money I needed! So I paid the fee and attended that conference from July 8 to July 10! It was a blessing.

In closing, please remember these main points:

#1: God knows the desires of your heart. If you delight yourself in Him, He will give you those desires if they are in accordance to His will. Read Psalm 37:4.

#2: God is the giver of good gifts! He wants to bless you! Read James 1:17.

#3: Just when you think all hope is lost, God will provide whatever you need! Read Philippians 4:19. My maternal grandmother used to say, “God may not come when you want Him to but He’s always on time!”

I hope that my testimony has encouraged you to reflect on God’s goodness in your own life. 

Don’t be afraid to tell your story!

It’s Thursday and I’m thankful for God’s provision. What are you thankful for?

Love,

Alexis A. Goring, MFA
Founder of “God is Love” blog