Because I’ve taken a new job with Cathay Pacific, I am based out of New York and my flights start and end there. Therefore, I have to commute to New York because I live in Ohio. Commuting is not very cheap for me because I lose a lot of the benefits of free travel that most pilots have because they are employed by a U.S. carrier. U.S. carriers allow pilots of other U.S. carriers to ride for free if there is an open seat, to help them get to work if they don’t live where they are based. I can sometimes get a free ride, on certain airlines and certain situations, but otherwise, I’m on the lookout for cheap airline tickets to JFK. It’s all part of doing business in the airline world.
This last trip I flew, I got a free ride to NYC, but had three bills to pay: one for a bus ride, one for a hotel room, and one for a taxi to take me back to the airport to get home. Those three costs added up to a fairly large sum and even though I could absorb the cost, I wasn’t happy at the prospect of having to pay this all the time, every time I go to work.
But God is a great provider. He kept the children of Israel alive as they wandered in the desert, by providing food for them each day. He allowed food to appear each day, and it would only keep for one day. Those who tried to gather more and stock up for the next day would only find that extra food spoiled. God wanted them to trust him for daily needs on a daily basis. He is a lamp unto our feet, not a huge spotlight shining ahead to show us the next few miles, but only the next few steps.
So how is God a great provider to me? When I checked into the hotel here in Anchorage, I was given an envelope with per diem in it. When I opened it, it was for the exact amount of my three bills: hotel, bus, and cab ride! Not a penny more or less. I think situations like this are more than a coincidence and am excited that God is showing me that he is sufficient for my needs. He may not always provide monetary needs, but he will always provide for those who choose to trust in him.
I’ll finish with this great quote: “God may not always show up when I want him to, but he always shows up on time.”