A Real Life Widow’s Mite: How God provided for Jane.
When costs rise should we stop giving to God? Can we trust God to provide when times get even harder? May Jane’s story of provision encourage us all to be quietly radical with our finances in this season.
This past Sunday I heard a wonderful story from a friend of mine, Jane. Jane and her late-husband Geoff were some of the first people we baptised in the church, my husband John and I planted, several years ago.
Jane was sadly widowed at the very start of lock down and had to bury Geoff under the ‘ten-people-per-funeral’ rule, that the UK government imposed back in Spring 2020. Since that time Jane’s fledling, child-like faith has been a joy to behold. Working part-time as a Teaching Assistant for mentally handicapped children, Jane is the sort of person who uses her free time to go out on the streets to pray for the lost and often quietly befriends those on the ‘edge’.
Just before our recent Gift Day, a day of prayerful financial giving towards the ongoing work of the church, Jane came to us; clearly frustrated. She expressed a desire to give financially to the church but was unsure how she would be able to do so, given her rising bills and living on a part-time wage.
So, it was to our utter amazement to hear Jane share her story the week after Gift Day had come and gone.
With no surplus income to speak of, Jane was worried about being able to cover her costs this winter. Yet, as she prayed and asked Jesus about her situation she recalled that she had some jewellery items that Geoff and others had given her. Wanting to contribute something to the church’s financial needs Jane transferred an amount of money to the church bank account in advance of selling her keep-sakes. However, Jane was surprised to find that the local valuer actually gave her twice the amount of money she had just given to the church! Within hours, God had seen this humble widow give out of her dwindling reserves and had doubled it in return!
But Jane, being the quietly radical disciple that she is, decided to give the full amount she received from the sale of her jewellery, back to the church. She went straight home and transferred double what she had originally given. While Jane was delighted to give, deep down she was still concerned that she may not be able to pay her bills in the coming months but resolved to trust her Father God, who had already shown He was able to give back more than expected.
Three days later, Jane returns home from work to find an envelope pushed through her letterbox. Inside, Jane found a wad of cash and just two handwritten words ‘with love’. When Jane counted the money she discovered Father God had again DOUBLED the amount she had given to church. Enough to cover her bills for the next few months.
We all wept at church as we listened to her tell the story of Gods goodness and generosity. God truly sees and honors the giving of the widow and those on low incomes.
May we all be encouraged to give away our ‘mite’ or give out of our surplus this winter and trust God to supply all our needs.
Abi works for Catalyst as their Projects and Communications Manager. She serves as part of the Catalyst Strategy Team, as well as Matt Hatch’s Hub Team and as part of the Senior Leadership Team of River City Church Hull. She’s a passionate evangelist and church planter, loves reading and fitting as many people around her dining table as possible.
