Sixty Fives

It was a cool fall morning.

I was preparing myself for a great day with God at church.

I got up, finished my morning routine, and prepared breakfast for my husband and me. It was almost time to go, so I began gathering my things together.

Then I realized I needed my tithe envelope.

I got my envelope out and started counting the money.

Wait a minute, I’m US$5.00 short, I thought.

How could that be? I put my tithe aside last week.

I recounted my tithe, thinking I had miscounted.

No, still short. I thought, Well, it is just five dollars; God won’t hold that against me. You see, I only had $12.00 in my wallet. If I took the $5.00 from that, I wouldn’t have much left. What if I wanted to go somewhere? My mom always told me never to go out with empty pockets in case of an emergency. Suddenly Malachi 3:10 came to my mind, “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (KJV). Convicted, I quickly added the $5.00 and trusted God to bless.

At church, I greeted my brothers and sisters in Christ.

I enjoyed the service and gratefully placed my tithe envelope in the offering plate. At home that afternoon, I listened to another sermon via the internet, and can you guess what the sermon was about? Yes, tithing! Later that evening, I went to the mailbox. In it was a letter from my sister. The letter was unusual because she had written my first name in large letters. Very few people know my first name.

I always use my middle name. When I opened the letter, I found a check for US$300.00! Three hundred dollars! I couldn’t believe it! I think God smiled down on me and said “What did I tell you? Trust Me.” I gave God one five-dollar bill, and now I have sixty five-dollar bills. God truly opened the windows of heaven and poured out a blessing bigger than I ever imagined.

Elaine J. Johnson