“God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9)
I received my undergraduate training in a business college. I tend to approach finances by analyzing, planning and controlling. Here at the Prayer League, we do things differently. We don’t budget; we don’t solicit donations. We did not cover this way of doing business at Mankato State! Imagine how a loan officer would react if your financial projections included a line titled, “The Lord’s Provision” – with a note that you would be “praying it in”!
One of the benefits of not being restricted to a budget is flexibility. We allow God to provide in any way he sees fit, and he surprises us repeatedly. This is not to say that we neglect good stewardship. We do plan ahead and consider the cost, in a way that guides our prayers. When we are considering a course of action, we feel able to move forward if we have the funds; if we don’t have them, we simply don’t proceed.
Another benefit of living like this is a keen sense of God’s nearness and his involvement in our lives. As I process donations, I get to see the faithfulness of our many praying supporters. Some give smaller gifts, month after month. I am also surprised by occasional larger gifts that come unexpectedly. And, then there are those special gifts that just seem miraculous. Recently we received a substantial gift from a person who had virtually no contact with the Prayer League in decades. In all of these ways, God proves himself faithful.
We ended 2016 in good shape financially. Our income was up over the year before. Expenditures were up, too – but not as much as income, leaving us in a good position for the new year. There are a couple of areas, however, for which we would ask your special prayer.
A couple of years ago, we received a large estate gift designated for missionary support. We used the gift to “top up” allowances for missionaries who were short in their own designated support. Those funds are now nearly depleted and as a result some of our missionaries who are not fully supported have received short allowances for part of the year. (Contact our offices if you are concerned about the missionary you may support yourself.)
A second area concerns our retirement plan: our Finance Committee will be discussing the issues over their next few meetings. Please join us in praying for wisdom and the Lord’s continued provision.