THE WORD WORKS by Lynda Leeson

If you were reared in the Southern Baptist Church as I was, you learned this verse early I’m sure: 

Malachi 3:10 King James Version (KJV) - 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.

Remember those little envelopes we were given that recorded our presence, daily Bible reading, lesson prepared, and TITHING?!? At any rate, tithing was stressed and also practiced by my Mother. I was taught to give a tithe of my allowance from an early age without giving it much thought. Keeping the electricity on, the yard mowed and necessary things for the church building also made perfect sense to my young mind. All this to say tithing has been a life-long practice for me (except during the years of rebellion...and we won’t go there).

In my thirties I was introduced to the next verse during a financial crisis:

Malachi 3:11 - And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 

Describing the crisis would take far more space than we have here, but a comforting friend taught me this verse in response to my frantic prayer request. I call it my “tithing insurance verse.” Simply put, the Leeson version reads, “If you tithe, God won’t let Satan steal from you.”

Recently my large windows in my dining room began to cloud with moisture. At first I thought nothing of it and weeks turned to months and it continued. We are blessed with caring men in our church who know about these things, and I consulted two of them. They gave me names of trusted contractors who could fix the windows. Long story short...prices ranged from $580 to $850, and I wasn’t thrilled at those prospects. My brother kept urging me to check the warranty on the windows. I was sure it wouldn’t apply after 8 years but I finally called. I bet you’ve guessed it...they are guaranteed 10 years and will be replaced for only $85!

Knowing that God watches over His word to perform it and never allows it to return void (Isaiah 55:11) immediately made Malachi 3:10-11 pop into my heart and head. Once again “prove me” stood out in bold letters. He rebuked that old devourer, Satan, from my checking account and saved me lots of money. I love Faithful God Stories...don’t you?!?