When Carolyn and I started out in our ministry, we had almost nothing. But we believed in what God wanted us to do. We were working with Jewish young people who were struggling with addiction and other issues. Many of them came from New York, and God began to burden my heart to work with them there rather than waiting for them to come to Texas. I went home one day and told Carolyn, “God has told me to buy a training center in New York City to assist Jewish kids coming off of drugs. I believe it will cost a million dollars, and I don’t know where we will get the money.”
Our total income the year before was $4,500. When I said I had no idea where the money would come from, I meant it. I didn’t have any resources. We were barely surviving. But we were happy in serving the Lord!
Our oldest daughter Michelle was five years old. She heard this conversation, and she said, “Daddy, I’ve got a million dollars in my piggy bank.” She went to her room and came back with her little bank. “I will give you the money. It’s here in my piggy bank!” I had tears in my eyes as we broke that bank open and counted out what was inside. It was $3.26.
Faith rose up in my heart. I took that money to the bank and opened an account to buy the training center. The teller asked me if I were crazy. He thought I had mental problems. I told him what God was going to do, and he laughed. He assured me the money would not be coming in. “You can’t pray money in, Reverend. You need to see a counselor!”
Every day I went to our center in Texas and prayed and fasted for a miracle. Sixteen weeks later, we deposited the final funds in the bank to reach the total of one million dollars so we could buy the building we needed. The banker apologized to me, but I knew the real secret. Michelle’s holy offering-her childish act of faith and Radical Generosity-had touched the heart of God and moved His hand to action.
Through the years, I have seen God richly bless those who have given generously to His work. When we give, we are not meeting a need God has. Everything already belongs to Him. When we give, we are expressing our faith. When we cling to everything we have, it really says that we do not trust God to meet our needs. A hoarding heart robs the owner of the opportunity to see God’s power displayed. It is only when we open our wallets and our hearts…both are vital…that we put ourselves in position to see God do things that are impossible to explain apart from His power.
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