The Chicken or the Egg

As I was reading The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson last night, I read of a situation that intrigued me. They were at the point in their ministry where they needed a building to house the youth and staff. David was flying all over the country talking in churches and sharing what God was doing in these kids' lives. The money he raised was enough for the rent on the office space he had, but he wasn't able to raise a chunk of money to buy a house for permanent residency.

He (David) told his wife of the situation and she said, "You're going about it all wrong. You should commit to the house first, then watch God provide the money, not the other way around." He thought that was very wise advice, so he started looking. The organization had $125 in the bank and the houses on the street they felt God calling them to were between $17,000 and $65,000. They went for the $65,000 house and through a series of events, raised $4400, which was the down payment of $4200 and $200 in lawyer fees they needed.

What intrigued me about this was not the amount of faith David and his board exercised in committing to the house first, but just that it seemed backwards to my logical, sensible, conservative, low-risk taking way of thinking. It was almost like going into debt to get something that was out of your price-range. Aren't we taught not to spend beyond our means? But it worked. The book said David realized his wife's advice was actually Biblical. Didn't Moses have to first raise his hands BEFORE the sea parted? Didn't Joshua have to blow the horns BEFORE the walls came down? God seems to often place people in a position of exercising their faith before he provides. Isn't that the way he builds our faith?

Blessings on the gorgeous, sunny Lord's day!