Prayerfully Paying Bills

It’s my turn to post today, so I thought I’d tell you about how I pay bills. I mean, it’s not earth-shaking or anything, but it may include one element some folks leave out.

Whenever I sit down at my computer to do my online bill paying, I pull up my bank account and check the balance. Either it looks good or it doesn’t. It might cover all that we owe or not.

Regardless, I pray.

My husband is self employed as  a computer consultant. He works super hard and is better than anyone I know at drumming up business without ever spending a cent on advertising. But sometimes customers don’t pay for his services in a timely fashion. We have to wait for payments. Sometimes they come in before bills come due and sometimes they don’t When the account is low, barely meeting our financial responsibilities, I pray for God’s provision. I speak to God about our trust in Him and that I know He cares for us. I ask for increased faith that will allow my husband and I not to worry about money, because that’s not where our true treasure is. I tell God that I know he sees our needs and we trust Him to provide at the perfect time.

You know what? He has never once failed us. Just about the time we think we’re going to have to pay a bill late or borrow some money, God comes through in spades. We receive an unexpected check. We get that late payment from a customer. Or we get a notice in the mail that our account was incorrectly billed and we don’t owe as much as we were originally billed. God really does care about the details of our (and your!) finances.

When our account has more than enough to pay the bills, I thank Him. I reflect on the times we didn’t have enough and God’s faithfulness to us even then. I thank Him for always providing and loving us, showing us what a good, loving Father He is. I ask Him what He would like us to do with the extra money He lavished on us. It’s a great time of thanksgiving and worship.

You can truly worship even when you pay bills. That includes paying your taxes or any other task you might find less than appealing. Any time you focus on God and communicate with Him through prayer, you’re worshipping.

I just finished a bill-paying worship service this morning. This month it was a time of thankfulness for all He’s given us. I don’t know what next month holds, but I know God’s provision will be enough.

Linda