We say in so many circumstances, “God will provide.”
How often do we truly believe that? Personally, I’ve wrestled with this for a long time. I can honestly say that when I think that now, I truly believe that He will provide. Here is why:
When I began praying about the race, going on this big and wild journey, I asked God for a few things. I asked for the application fee to be covered, for the deposit to come in 3 days, and for the bulk of my equipment, mostly the biggest three pieces (65L pack, tent, and sleeping bag) be provided. I had specifics in mind when I was praying about equipment, but never presented those specifics in prayer. Because, being me, I did some research.
My application fee was covered by a promo code that was offered during the webcast of the October 2018 route reveal.
After texting only a few friends about being accepted, my deposit was in. And you guessed it, in three days.
A friend who wasn’t able to give financially gave me a Mountain Hardware sleeping bag. The exact brand I was looking at.
Another friend messaged me asking if I’d gotten my big pack yet. Then proceeded to ask for my address, and said one would be in the mail shortly. It was the exact pack I’d been drooling over. And in my favorite color (after a size swap 
). Unknown to the friend who was kind enough to purchase it.
And, finally, the tent. There was a very specific tent I have wanted for a long time, even before the Race. I was gifted this tent by a very dear friend. I have daydreamed about this tent for two years, knowing I would never be able to afford it for the Race, or even just to have for the sake of camping and backpacking trips to Colorado.
If I would have provided all of this gear for myself, there’s no way I would have been able to afford the brands and gear I was given, but because God provided them, I got the best of the best. I’ve barely begun the journey of fundraising, but am already floored every day that these things have been given to me.
God’s a good dad. He knows the desires of my heart, even when it comes down to what gear I wanted for the Race. How wild is that? That God gave me the exact things I wanted. This is not to say that every prayer I pray gets answered the way I want. There will be a blog coming soon enough about that. Sorry to keep you waiting on that one, but it’ll be worth it, I promise!
What I’m getting at is that when God puts something in our path, and we’re willing to chase that with Him, to bring Him glory, to bring Him honor, and serve others in His name…we will get so much more than we could ever want, dream, or imagine. When we pray and ask God to provide for the things in His will, He will provide beyond our wildest dreams.
To these three friends who gifted me these pieces of my journey: I pray for you every time I look at the corner of my room that is housing my gear. Which is often. I am floored by your generosity and kindness. Floored that I have been given such incredible people in my life. You are all amazing people, and I will think of each of you every step of this journey. From the bottom to the top of my heart (which everyone tells me is a huge heart), thank you.
THAT’S A GOOD WORD. Sounds like Jesus being just like Him – providing. Being FAITHFUL. But you’re right – we don’t always believe it. And sometimes it’s easier to help others believe it than it is to believe it yourself.
I’m super proud of you and so stoked for you. This is huge. He’s going to use your faithfulness to move in His Kingdom.
This encourages me to pray often and to make my requests known to God, thank you for sharing! You’re such an awesome prayer warrior and I can’t wait to be running this awesome race with you.