The Day God Paid Off My Credit Card DEBT

I was barely making it through my days. It was a time of grief and loss that I wasn’t sure I could recover from anytime soon. I was holding onto God by my fingernails and fiercely praising Him through daily tears and from a bleeding heart.  Each day, I rose early to meet God, do the job He gave me to do at work that day, and then go through the motions of my evening routine before falling asleep each night.

My faith was sure but shaken. I knew in my heart and mind that there was none for me but Jesus, but it seemed that Jesus was bent on taking my desires from me by force and the resulting hole in my heart pumped just enough sustenance through my body to make it through one more day.

I forced myself to praise Him through my pain, and the healing began with a sudden and unexpected series of events after one long day of teaching.

Entering the lobby of my building, I turned the key in my mailbox and pulled out the wad of miscellaneous mail before heading up to my 3rd floor apartment. Standing at the kitchen table, I sorted through the names of my roommates and carried my own envelopes down the long hallway to my bedroom.

At the time, I was single and in debt. The night before, I had gone to a new Bible study that was meeting informally at a girlfriend’s house to read and discuss Rick Warren’s New York Times Best Seller, The Purpose Driven Life. When it came time for prayer requests, one of the girls shared that she decided to pray that God would take away her debt. My ears perked up.

I made a bit of a financial mess of myself as a single young teacher without much understanding of budgeting or saving, but I was on my way to paying off my debt and becoming educated and responsible with my money. Little by little, I was working towards financial freedom.

Month by month, I was hacking away at my debt, but I never stopped to pray and ask God to help me, much less remove the debt entirely. So that’s exactly what I did.

The next day, as I glanced at my stack of bills and letters, I quickly opened my credit card statement. The balance said……$0.00. I did a double take.

“That can’t be right” I thought. I decided to give the company a quick call.

The operator confirmed that I had a zero dollar balance and that I actually had a credit of 300 dollars which she would send to me in the form of a check. I feebly thanked her and hung up the phone. Bewildered, I decided to go to the gym and sort out the mess later.

After my workout, I made my way back home and as I was driving I remembered that I had prayed the night before that God would take away my debt.

I raced up the stairs and looked at the date of the statement. It was for the month prior. God had erased my debt, and He had answered my prayer a month before I prayed it.  I was reminded of Isaiah 65:24, “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” That’s exactly what God had done on my behalf.

I dropped to my knees. Frantically, I called my dad who was on a business trip. He answered the phone. I excitedly poured out that I had prayed about my debt, and suddenly, my debt was gone. I was certain it was a mistake and I feared a huge hassle and mess.

“Amber, Amber” my father delightedly spoke my name, interrupting me. “I paid your debt” he said.

I froze in disbelief. “What?” I stammered. My parents were not in a position to do such a thing, and yet they had managed to do so. God had used my earthly father to remind me that He as my Heavenly Father is able to do exceedingly abundantly beyond all we can ask or imagine!

God is not a magic genie who bestows on us whatever we wish, but at that particular time in my life, I was going through a season of brokenness and sorrow. I needed hope in a tangible way. God, in His wisdom and mercy, allowed me to experience a radical and swift answer to this particular prayer as a loving reminder that He sees me and is aware of every detail of my life. At a time when I was going through a major loss and committing to praise Him though my eyes could not see the goodness of His plans, the Lord dealt with me gently through this supernatural provision.  Just as He could give me what I asked for, He reassured me that what He had taken was also part of His good plan for my future.

Maybe today, you find yourself wondering what God is up to in your own life. Perhaps you also are going through a time of loss or maybe you simply aren’t sure if God sees you and your needs. Like any two people in a relationship, God longs to meet with you and hear your heart. Tell Him all about it. Pray expectantly and whether He gives or takes away, know that He is able and He is good.

The longer and harder fought for prayers during that same season were no less of a blessing than the answer that came overnight. Healing eventually came and beauty did emerge from ashes over time. But I’ll never forget that God saw me in my brokenness, and though that credit card is long gone, God deposited His grace into the treasury of my heart, and it remains.

YOUR TURN: Did this post resonate with you? Do you need prayer? Leave your request in the comments-I would be honored to pray for you! 

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