Trusting God with Your Finances
Losing sleep over bills, debt, or just making ends meet? In this episode, discover how trusting God as your Provider and holding your finances with open hands leads to peace, faithful stewardship, and unexpected generosity.
Losing sleep over bills, debt, or just making ends meet? In this episode, discover how trusting God as your Provider and holding your finances with open hands leads to peace, faithful stewardship, and unexpected generosity.
Have you ever lain awake at night, anxious about money?
Whether it's unexpected bills, mounting debt, or simply trying to stretch a paycheck to the end of the month, financial stress is one of the heaviest burdens we carry. It can dominate our thoughts, strain our relationships, and make us feel like we're always one crisis away from falling apart.
In this episode, we look at the remarkable story of Oseola McCarty, a woman who spent over 75 years washing and ironing clothes in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She never earned more than a few dollars per bundle of laundry. She lived simply, never owned a car, and walked everywhere she needed to go. But in 1995, at age 87, she stunned the nation by donating nearly her entire life savings, $150,000, to fund college scholarships for students who couldn't afford tuition. When asked why, she said simply, "I just want the scholarship to go to some child who needs it."
Through her story and Matthew 6:31–33, you'll see that trusting God with your finances isn't about how much you make. It's about seeking His Kingdom first, stewarding what you have with wisdom, and holding your money with open hands instead of clenched fists. Your heavenly Father already knows your needs—and He invites you to trust Him as your Provider.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:
- Why Jesus says "don't worry" about money and what He offers as the antidote to financial anxiety
- How faithful stewardship and generosity flow from trusting God as your Provider
- A practical step you can take this week to loosen your grip on finances and seek God's Kingdom first
Trusting God with your finances isn't about having more, it's about holding what you have with open hands and believing that the Provider who sustained Oseola McCarty for 87 years will sustain you too.
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A woman spends over 75 years washing and ironing
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clothes in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Osceola McCarty
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never earned more than a few dollars per bundle of laundry.
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She lived simply, never owned a car, and walked everywhere she
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needed to go. Most people would look at her life and see
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limitations and a small income, hard work, and no glamorous life.
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But Osceola saw something different.
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dollar by dollar, and decade by decade, trusting that God would
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provide what she needed and that she could steward well what she
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had. Then, in 1995, at age 87, she did something that stunned
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the nation. Why would a woman who had spent her entire life
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washing other people's clothes give away nearly everything she
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had saved?
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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and
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today we're talking about money. I know, we don't like talking
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about money. But I know this, it's something that keeps many
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of us up at night. Because of that, Jesus says in Matthew 6,
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31-33,
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He isn't saying, don't think about money. He says, don't
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worry about these things. I know, planning is wise, and budgeting
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is responsible. But worry, that anxious, spinning, what-if
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obsession. That's what Jesus is talking about. And he gives us
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the antidote. He says, seek the kingdom of God first, and trust
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your Heavenly Father with the rest. Now, that's easier said
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than done, isn't it? Most of us have felt the weight of
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financial pressure, the bill that comes at the wrong time,
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the paycheck that didn't stretch far enough, the debt that seems
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to never go down, the fear of what happens if something breaks,
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if someone gets sick, or what if the job disappears. And into
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that anxiety, Jesus speaks, your Heavenly Father already knows
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all your needs. He isn't unaware of the situation. He's not
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indifferent. He sees the numbers on your bank statement. You
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think he doesn't see what's stressing you out? What he does
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is he invites you to trust him, not with blind optimism, but
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with a faith that's anchored in who he is. The same God who
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feeds the birds and clothes the flowers is watching over you. So,
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do we lie down and just let God? No, it means being faithful. It
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means stewarding what you have with wisdom and generosity. It
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means living within your means, giving generously, and holding
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your money with open hands instead of clenched fists.
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Stewardship is the recognition that everything you have belongs
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to God. You're not the owner. You're the manager. And managers
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are called to be faithful with what they've been given, whether
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it's a little or a lot. Generosity is the overflow of
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that trust. When you believe God is your provider, you don't have
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to hoard. You can freely give because you know He will take
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care of you. Generosity isn't about the size of the gift. It's
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about the posture of the heart. It's about the posture of the
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heart. Ms. McCarty donated $150, 000, almost her entire life
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savings to the University of Southern Mississippi, to fund
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scholarships for students who couldn't afford college. When
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asked why, she said simply, I just want the scholarships to go
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to some child who needs it. Her gift inspired others to give,
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and the fund grew to over $330, 000. Osceola didn't wait until
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she had enough by the world's standards. She trusted God as
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her provider, lived within her means, and gave generously from
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a heart of faith. Trusting God with your finances isn't about
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how much you make. It's about holding what you have with open
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hands and believing that the provider who sustained Osceola
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for 87 years will sustain you too. She washed clothes for 75
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years, and she never had a big income, but she had a big faith.
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And that faith expressed itself in faithful stewardship and
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radical generosity. You may not have $150, 000 to give away, but
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you have something. And God is asking, will you trust me with
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it? Will you seek my kingdom first and believe that I will
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provide what you need? That doesn't mean every bill will
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magically disappear, or every financial stress will vanish
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overnight. But it does mean you don't have to carry the weight
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alone. Your Heavenly Father knows your needs. And when you
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seek Him first, He promises to provide. Here's today's
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challenge. Take a few minutes to honestly assess your
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relationship with money. Are you living in anxiety, constantly
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worried about what you don't have? Are you holding your
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finances with clenched fists, afraid to give because you might
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not have enough? Or are you trusting God as your provider
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and stewarding what He's given with wisdom and generosity? This
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week, take one step of faith.
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Lord, money worries are real and some of us are anxious about
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bills and debt and making ends meet. But you tell us not to
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worry because you already know our needs. Help us to seek your
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kingdom first. Teach us to be faithful stewards and generous
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givers. Loosen our grip on what we have and remind us that you
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are our provider. We trust you. In Jesus' name, amen. If this
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episode encouraged you, would you share it with someone who
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might be struggling with financial anxiety? Just send
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them the link from the show notes. They may need this
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reminder that God is their provider, too. Thanks for
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joining me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives.
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Remember, trusting God with your finances isn't about how much
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you make. It's about holding what you have with open hands
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and believing that your Heavenly Father will provide. Come back
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next time for more encouragement to help you live grounded in
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God's truth. Until then, God bless and have a great day.
