“The Lord Doth Provide”

In his book, The Sure Cure for Worry, Kent Crockett wrote about Max Wilkins, who serves as a Vision Catalyst for Church Multiplication with the Global Methodist Church.

When Max sensed God’s call to ministry, he applied to Candler School of Theology at Emory University. He had no resources to pay for it. He considered two employment opportunities before Fall classes started, a local church position, which would give ministry training, or a church camp staff position with a super low salary. The church job was the obvious choice. 

After spending time in prayer, Max felt led to pursue the camp job instead of the better-paying church position. His parents tried to talk him out of it. Yet Max felt strongly God led him to work at summer camp.

For the next two-and-a-half months, Max faithfully did his camp duties and collected his meager pay. At the end of the summer, classes were two weeks away, and Max still didn’t have money to pay tuition. 

As he thought about his financial situation, he realized his parents were right. If he had taken the church position, he would have gained valuable experience and had the money to pay for the first semester.

Yet, Max had prayed about the two job choices and felt a peace about his decision to do the camp. Now starting Fall seminary classes looked impossible. 

Max stormed down to the camp lake and cried out to God, “Lord, what are you doing? You are the one who called me to seminary. You are the one who called me to work at this camp. I’m trying to be obedient to you, but I have no idea what to do now.”

Suddenly he sensed the presence of someone nearby, turned around and noticed an elderly woman quietly sitting on a lakeside bench.

“Uh, hello,” Max said, embarrassed. “Have we met?”

“No, you don’t know me. My name is Emily Ann. Tell me what’s bothering you.”

Max sat down and talked about his call to ministry, his desire to attend seminary, and his turning down the summer church staff job to work at this camp.

“Now camp is almost over and I have no money. Seminary classes start in two weeks. I have no idea what I’m going to do with my life.”

“Candler School of Theology?” she asked. “My husband and I happen to have some friends who are endowing a scholarship at that seminary. Please give me your contact info and I will tell them about you.”

Max was thinking, “Yeah, right.” 

What are the odds that someone with a connection to the very seminary he applied to would come to that spot at the very moment he was praying? Max scribbled his address on a piece of paper, handed it to her and thanked her.

After camp ended, Max returned home and tried to figure out his next step. Mail accumulated over the summer was stacked on his desk, and in that stack was a letter from the Sherman Foundation:

“Dear Max, Our dear friend Emily Ann spoke very highly of you and your calling to ministry. We trust her implicitly. Based on her recommendation, we are pleased to award you an all-expense paid scholarship to Candler School of Theology at Emory University.”

Max was stunned. What looked like a poor decision to work at summer camp for a pittance became an opportunity to demonstrate how God can maneuver people to the right locations at the right time to help carry out His purposes and become channels of His promised provision.

My wife and I experienced God’s provision in our seminary journey, also. A co-worker at the former Home Mission Board in Atlanta used her connections to help us receive a scholarship that helped tremendously. An anesthesiologist and his wife in our Sunday School class pulled us aside one Sunday just before we moved to Fort Worth to begin studies and said every year, they allocated money to bless someone and this year, they wanted to help with our seminary expenses. They handed us a check for $500, a lot of money in 1981. This more than covered our moving and start-up expenses. 

Throughout the years, we’ve seen God fulfill his promise recorded in Philippians 4:19, “My God shall supply all your need . . .” time and time again. 

As my Mom always said, “The Lord doth provide!”

(David L. Chancey lives in Fayetteville, Georgia, and serves as transitional pastor at Griffin Church in Griffin, Georgia. He enjoys preaching, writing, and spending time with his family).