Page 79 - Evidence of Things Unseen

home, and his wife had a difficult time giving up the family idols. I admitted my culpability
in this matter, and it led me to choose to be very patient with my wife.
My wife was at her most volatile period while in Payne City, but it was merely the final
death throes that preceded her deliverance. I truly considered turning back to work in
secular employment, because of the difficulty of the days, but God had so disabled me that
I could not even walk at this time without leaning upon a cane.
During this time of great pain, I also knew great comfort from the Father. He
manifested His provision for us, while we were in Payne City, in extraordinary ways. We had
been there a couple weeks, and I had no money left for gas and groceries, or to pay bills. I
prayed to God on a particular day and I asked Him to provide us some money. I had a sum
of several hundred dollars in mind. That night we visited with our friends the Barnes’ at
their church, and before we left he placed an envelope in my wife’s hands to give to me.
When I opened it I found that it contained three hundred dollars in twenty dollar bills. God
provided the exact amount I had requested that morning.
A few weeks later I had to pay the water bill, and once again I had no money. Tony had
some money her father had given her, but she refused to use it to take care of our family’s
expenses. She said the money was hers, and she would not share it with me. This rejection
from my wife cut me to the heart, and I spent time alone with the Lord weeping because of
the pain I felt. I told God that I needed money to pay this bill, and I asked Him if He would
send me some money since my wife would not share with me in this matter. This was on a
Wednesday, and that night we visited with our friend’s at their church again. As we were
leaving Randy handed me a check that was written from the church’s benevolence fund. The
check was for fifty dollars, which more than covered our utility bill. Randy told me the check
had actually been given to him Sunday, but he had been unable to give it to me that day. I
knew God had reserved it for this day to be given in response to my passionate plea that
arose to Him that morning.
I felt very comforted by these tokens of the Father’s watchfulness over me and my
family. We did not know any lack while we were in Payne City, and God provided just what
we needed to pay all of our bills. One remarkable provision came in on the very day that we
were leaving this house. Although we were given the offer to stay six weeks at no charge, I
had agreed to pay the electric bill. Before we left the bill had arrived at the owner’s house,
and they called to inform me that it was fifty-four dollars.
I felt that I needed to pay this bill in a timely manner, yet on the day we were moving
out I did not have the money, and I wanted to give the money to the owners when I gave
them their keys back. As we were preparing to leave the house on that last day I looked in
the mailbox and there was a letter from a credit card company I had once done business
with. Inside was a check for eighty dollars. The company had faced some sort of class action
lawsuit, and they were sending out checks to all those people who were entitled to a refund.
The name of the company was Providian, and God was testifying to me that He was our
faithful Provider.
God was also faithful to do what He had spoken to me when I first saw the numbers
3456 on the outside of the house. He would set our household in order while we were there.
One of the great obstacles in the way of Tony having a heart change was the support she was
still receiving from the ministers and their wives who had rejected me. I began to pray that
God would cut off all influences in my wife’s life that were encouraging her to resist God’s
working in our lives.
We had been in Payne City several weeks, and Tony had arranged to go to a meeting