God vs. the Infernal Revenue Service

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[Jesus said] “But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth, and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.” – Matthew 17:27

When I was growing up, there were two things I dreaded about becoming an adult. One was having to wear a girdle. Yes, kids, back in those days, women wore girdles, and they were complicated. The metal clips that connected those pelvic straightjackets to ladies’ stockings struck fear into this bobby-socked kid.

The other source of dread was the thought of paying taxes. Seeing my father spending hours at his desk, filling out form after form, made my little head spin. I could tell he was not having a good time, and I wanted nothing to do with those stacks of paper that had no pictures on conversations on them. (And what good is paper with no pictures or conversations? 😉 ) Even when I became an adult with my own bank account, balancing my checkbook was enough of a challenge, thank you very much.

It’s been said that the vast majority of what we fear never happens, and I’m happy to report that this was the case with me. The advent of pantyhose came just in time to save me from having to wrestle with girdles and clips. And after marrying an engineer with excellent organizational skills (Yes, opposites attract.), I have yet to do taxes. Furthermore, praise God, since our oldest child is a CPA, I am optimistic about the odds I will never have to.

About ten years into our marriage, we hit our first hiccup with the I.R.S. For some reason, they were under the impression that we owed them $7,000 more than we had already paid. As usual, I let Marty handle it, since he was the one with the problem-solving skills. Faith was my forte. Having been provided for (spoiled) all my life, I trusted that my heavenly Daddy would provide this time, too. I did wonder if He was going to “provide” by letting me know it was time for me to get a job, but since I was expecting our second child, and the first child was only two, it seemed like an odd season for that kind of transition.

The answer came sooner than we expected, not through employment for me, but through the job Marty already had, where he had apparently been performing exceptionally well. A day or two after we had received the notice from the I.R.S., Marty was called into the plant manager’s office and told he was receiving a promotion. His salary was not raised much, but the promotion involved his use of a “company car.” My ever-frugal husband said it wouldn’t be necessary; he had just recently purchased a new car. The boss asked how much he had paid for it, and Marty told him (You guessed it) $7,000. He walked out of the office that day with a check for $7,000 to reimburse him for what was henceforth the “company car.”

So, with perfect timing, we were able to “render unto Caesar” and get on with our lives.

Prayer: Lord, thank You for all the years You have provided for us in every way. Thank You for the way You are always bringing back memories that strengthen my faith more the more I relive them and retell them. Thanks for the security of knowing Your love is “from everlasting to everlasting,” that there was never a time You didn’t love us and never will be. May we love and serve You forever, as You deserve, in Jesus’ name, amen.

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Published by seekingdivineperspective

I am a forgiven sinner and adopted child of God, seeking to see life from His perspective - as opposed to the world's flawed perspective - and living my life accordingly.

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27 thoughts on “God vs. the Infernal Revenue Service”

  1. I have a financial testimony hopefully of my own. We just had to take our cat to the vet. Most likely got a spider bite, maybe a brown recluse. The bill? $802 smackerroonies. My daughter paid for it alright. Though she had the money, she is trying to save up for a car and possibly getting her own place (apartment, house, condo – whatever works out). Well, through a source that will remain anonymous at this time, she is expected to be reimbursed. We haven’t received the funds as of yet, but hopefully next week they should come in the mail.

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  2. Thank you for the timely reminder of how faithful God is to his children. April and I are currently facing financially challenging times and I have questioned going back to work after being retired almost 7 years. I am eagerly waiting God’s resolve to our need like I used to wait for Christmas morning as a child. I know it will be a surprise, a gift I never saw coming!

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    1. Haha! That’s great, Keith. More power to you! Sometimes the Lord’s provision comes in the form of the diversity of talents and passions people have. Kindergarten teachers used to wonder how I could teach middle school students, and I wondered where they got the energy to keep five-year-olds engaged. I love that the Body of Christ is made up of so many different parts.

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  5. Love this perfect example of how God shows up! I’m currently waiting to see what He has planned for our need for a vehicle . My 2005 Toyota wheelchair van has 300,000 miles on it and the engine recently started knocking. I know something will work out.

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  7. Ann, this made me reflect on the times in my life God had provided in ways are nothing else but God’s handiwork. It surely strengthens my faith to keep trusting God with what lies ahead. And like you I am thankful that my hubby handles the taxes, it surely goes above my head.

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  8. Did you mean to title it “infernal” rather than “internal”? I hope that wasn’t rude to ask. For the first time my tax preparer filed an extension. Nathan and the IRS have a terrible relationship. I am thankful that we are able to afford to pay our taxes. I am amazed by stories of faith and finances!

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  9. This is timely. My previous ministry in California has brought me a lot of main and this past tax season now with my new ministry I realized they messed up somethings with the way they did taxes and we have to pay more and also a penalty. It left me bitter but good reminder God provides

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  10. I needed to read this tonight, thank you Annie! We have quite a few large, extra expenses coming up in the next months. Your testimony speaks to my faith in our Abba’s faithful and precise provision! Thank you so much for sharing. “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy”; this prophesies the same faithfulness in our needs!

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    1. Thanks so much for letting me know, Jennifer. I’m always praying that my blog would be read by whoever the Lord wants to see it, and that it will minister to them. This encourages me, to know that He’s answering my prayers. God bless you and your ministry! 💕

      P. S. When those needs are met, be sure to tell your readers about it! 😉

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  11. I can remember my feelings of dread the first time my husband Pete was hospitalized (14 days in intensive care!). Then the bills started coming and I had to try and pick my jaw up off the floor as I opened each one … $50,000 … $20,000 … $100,000 … and there was a whole pile of those suckers. Let’s just say the total would have bought a fairly swanky house where we live. At first I just stared at the bills and thought, “So I’m supposed to pay these with monopoly money???” But fortunately, our Medicare and supplemental insurance paid for nearly all of it, and we only ended up having to pay maybe $10,000. Fortunately we also have a good retirement plan and were able to cover that too. So God does provide!

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