God’s Provision – Tannika Nikeya

Ever faced hard times financially? I had then and am even now. Today’s throwback is an older poem of mine called “Two F’s.”

As I read it now, I realize how much hard seasons can teach us.

Life happens. Unexpected expenses happen. We make financial mistakes. Sometimes we find ourselves trying to stretch what we have farther than it can go.

But I’m learning that financial struggles aren’t just an opportunity to learn how to manage money better. They can also teach us about trust, stewardship, contentment, discipline, and our dependence on God.

I’m learning to have a healthier relationship with money while also learning to trust God to provide.

And one thing I’m reminding myself of is this: being in a financially difficult season doesn’t mean God has forgotten you.

Sometimes the lesson isn’t simply about getting more money. Sometimes it’s about learning how to handle what we have, making wiser choices, and trusting God through the process.

So today, I’m taking a look back at something I wrote years ago and realizing that some lessons are still being learned.

I know this year has been rough for many of us. Hold on and please don’t give up.

Have you, or are you currently going through, a difficult financial season? What has it taught you?

Here’s “Two F’s.” 📖✍🏾

I received my report card and I got two F’s

But I didn’t fail a class

I failed financially and being without money Is kicking me in my rear end bad

I have a pot to piss in

But have no clue

As to how to pay all these bills when due

Why do I have to make life decisions when it comes to money?

Get gas or buy medicine

Eat a meal or pay a bill

Man should I take the hard work of another

Or put on a mask and go skipping through the bank’s steel

Make fast money fast or just give up

Why must my soul put up a fight, when I know what’s right?

I stretch my check till it can’t stretch no more

I can’t count on my bank account

And if my pockets were muscles, they’d feel soar

The love of money is the root of all evil

This I know I don’t love money, but I need it

I need it to survive

Shoot I can’t even pay my tithes

I budget well or so I think

I was tithing faithfully and I gave to others even when it was my last

So where did I go wrong

To experience tough times this bad

My mortgage due, my light bill too,

Water bill, credit card bill, student loans,

Shall I go on

My babies need food

My car needs gas

I got one dollar and no emergency stash

Disappointed and stressed

Trying not to worry

But it’s frustrating when the frequent response is decline

And the word of the day is less

I pray and I pray

And I even have a job

but don’t have much to pay Uncle Sam or pay back Uncle Bob

I have dreams

I have goals

But if I don’t have money or notoriety

To the world

they are just ideas and no’s

I am so consistently broke

That my tears need raincoats

I den cried till I can’t anymore

Once ignored calls to bill collectors are promises unsecured

Not knowing if I can back a payment for sure

Being broke isn’t fun

But I guaranteed it is someone whose finances are registered on E

And going thru worse than me

Dying because they have nothing at all to eat

Nor options or resources

So why should I complain?

I thank the Lord for getting me through

And for realizing the truth

The truth is I don’t trust Him

like I should

The truth is He made a way before, so why not now

The truth is I fed all my worthless idols with luxury and my time

They got all my plenty and took every last dime

The truth is I gave without seeking God’s wisdom

And instead I let Jealousy, Buy-A-Friend, Keep-up-with-the Jones and Slothful deplete my resources

And take the spoon out of my child’s mouth

The truth is I put all my faith in my job and other worldly sources

My job gives me allowance to keep me coming back

But my Lord gives me more than money and His Word does a better job of keeping me on track

The truth is I don’t tithe because I am afraid that if I trust the Lord

With what He gave me, He won’t give it back

The truth is I forget He knows what I need before I even ask

And though tests will come I will survive

Because my Lord is alive

And His bank account is greater than all the banks and gold in the world

So I am learning not to utter I am broke

Because words are powerful

My Lord has plenty

And I don’t have to live on Decline

Because the Lord didn’t bring me this far

To leave me behind

I will reach Prosperity Lane

Instead of always living check to check and pockets drained

I will continue to pray my Two F’s away

And ask for clarity

On how to get a B For budget,

C for cash And A for Accepted and Never Denied

I will pay all my debts and owe no man nothing except love

I will learn to obey God and trust Him to provide

I will depend on Him and do more than just get by…

For those of us who needed the reminder during a time of uncertainty or while facing some kind of hardship:

God takes care of His.

Don’t doubt that your Heavenly Father has your back. He will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory.

And that doesn’t mean hard times won’t come. It doesn’t mean we won’t experience uncertainty, lack, disappointment, or seasons where we don’t understand what God is doing.

It means we are not alone in those seasons.

God is there in the midst of them, caring for us, sustaining us, providing for us, and giving us what we need to keep going.

Psalm 37:25 reminds us that God’s faithfulness is not based on whether life is easy. David was speaking from a lifetime of experience. He had seen hardship, but he had also seen God’s faithfulness.

So if you’re in a difficult season today, don’t mistake the hardship for God’s absence.
God takes care of His.

I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread. –Psalm 37:25