When Claire McGarry learns the backstory to Dallas Jenkins' hit Christian TV show, The Chosen, she better understands how God does always provide.
Seventy-two percent of Americans feel they don’t have enough money to survive. Each month, when the bills roll in, their anxiety spikes and consumes their thoughts. Yet, one of God’s names is Jehovah Jireh, “The Lord Our Provider,” reminding us that when we turn to Him, He will always meet our needs, always.
Dallas Jenkins was a struggling Christian filmmaker until he got financial backing and a ten-year contract from Hollywood with his first full-length film. He was on top of the world the day it hit the box office. Two hours later, the ratings came in. The film was deemed a flop. His funding was pulled and his contract was broken. He was at an all-time low until his wife, Amanda, heard God say two things in her prayer time: “The miracle of feeding the 5,000” and “I do impossible math.”
Dallas interpreted that to mean he wasn’t responsible for his own success or his finances. All he had to do was bring God his fishes and loaves and God would handle the rest. So Dallas poured his time into making a short film called The Shepherd for his church. It was the fishes and loves of his heart with no other agenda than to glorify God and bless his church. The idea of both brought him deep joy and peace, no matter the outcome.
The outcome was: someone put it out into cyberworld and began a crowd-funding campaign. When the 19,000 donations from all over the world hit the $10 million-dollar mark, Amanda and Dallas understood how God does indeed do “impossible math.” It was the exact amount they needed for the filming of the entire first season of the Christian TV show The Chosen.
God does “impossible math” for us too when we turn our financial worries over to Him. Jehovah Jireh provides for the birds in the trees (Luke 12:24), the flowers of the field (Matthew 6:28), and all our needs according to the riches of His glory (Philippians 4:19). Worry will never add a single hour to our lives or perform miracles in math. Only God can, and He will. We just need to turn it all over to Him with trust in our hearts.
Copyright 2023 Claire McGarry
Images: Canva
About the Author
Claire McGarry
Claire McGarry is the author of Grace in Tension: Discover Peace with Martha and Mary, and the Lenten family devotionals With Our Savior and Abundant Mercy. Claire is a regular contributor to Living Faith, and her freelance work has appeared in several books, magazines, and devotionals. She blogs weekly at Shifting My Perspective, and lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children. Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Amazon.
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