But He [Jesus] said, "The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.” Luke 18:27 NASB

October of 1994 was a very special time in the life of my family. God was sending the music all over the world and Melinda and I and our children were traveling all over the US to share the music and the story of my deliverance. It seemed that with each new step we took, God was there in our midst calling us to ever deeper expressions of faith…leading us to deeper places of trust in Him and in His ability to provide for us…in very meaningful and unexpected ways.

One afternoon before a ministry time at Evangel Fellowship in Spindale, North Carolina, we were met with one of those meaningful and unexpected encounters with the deep love of God. It was during this ministry trip that the Lord began to teach me and my children a deeper lesson in trust than we had ever dreamed of.

After spending the afternoon riding a horse belonging to our - at that time - new friends, the Inmans (Sandy, Janet and Cody), our children decided they would like a horse also - especially my daughter, Annē! Janet told me she would agree with us in prayer that the Lord would provide us a horse. So, we prayed asking the Lord to bring us a horse….and I forgot all about it over the next few days, but not Annē. She kept asking when the Lord would bring a horse to us. I kept saying, “When it’s time, He will bring us a horse.” Not in my wildest dreams did I ever expect what happened next!

Eight days later, while ministering in West Monroe, Louisiana, a couple walked up to me after a worship service and informed me the Lord had directed them to give us something that would not fit in the offering plates that day. Curious now, I asked what in the world they wanted to give us that would not fit in an offering plate and they said, “We know this may sound crazy - but we believe the Lord would have us give you…a horse!” Our faith shot up about a thousand percent! We were now the owners of Monroe (which means ‘trusting’!) the Magnificent, a beautiful Paso Fino two year old.

But God did not stop there. Since Monroe was an unbroken stallion, we sold him and bought three horses for the children. Since that time, we have been given 2 other horses. This so bolstered the faith of my daughter, Galen, that she asked the Lord for a pet pig. While driving home from church one day soon after that prayer request, we passed a local farmer who seemed to be chasing something through the tall grass of his pasture. We stopped and asked what was going on. He told us he was chasing his potbellied pigs that kept escaping their pen and was going to get rid of them. Of course, we told him we would take them if he didn’t want them. He simply said, “If you can catch them, they’re yours!” And Galen had her pigs. Baby Bop and Rex lived with us on the farm for many years.

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NASB

My point? Our God is a big God who delights in HIs children, Who delights in giving us the desires of our hearts. We need to trust Him with child-like faith just as my children did when they were younger. I will never forget the joy on the faces of my children when those horses and pigs came into our lives. Never…and I can only imagine that if the joy I experienced as an earthly father is any indication of God’s joy and delight in expressing His love for us, we have only touched the tip of the iceberg in realizing just how much our God loves us and delights in giving us the desires of our hearts…regardless of our circumstances!

But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, "You are my God.” Psalm 31:14 NASB

O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1 NASB

Then he [Jesus] said, "I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew 18:3 NLT

Let us become as children today, simply trusting our Father by delighting in His presence and allowing Him to lavish His great redeeming love upon us.

Dennis Jernigan

To listen to a podcast version of this teaching along with a song inspired by the events in the story, go to http://podcast.dennisjernigan.com/e/you-are-my-god-1549385479/

The cover picture is courtesy of https://pixabay.com/photos/horse-field-girl-horse-girl-field-2536537/