Early in the Colts march toward the World Championship, Coach Dungy was quoted by the press as saying, "Three (in a row) is starting a pattern. We'd like to start a pattern. Two is still a coincidence." I believe this statement applies in both the physical and the spiritual world. Perhaps that is why God says, "test me". He realizes we need more than a coincidence, we need a pattern and a trend to solidify our faith.

God seems to be quiet for long periods of time and I used to become concerned I had somehow displeased The Father. He has established a trend in my life which is so consistent, I need not be concerned about quiet times. If He is displeased with my actions, He is quite capable of letting me know. So is the adversary who is a master at manipulation.

Yesterday began as a nightmarish day: My work decided I should drop a project in which I had invested a great deal of myself, The Living in Simple Faith House had a water leak which flooded the kitchen, I experienced four hours of dizziness and nausea whereupon I laid down to rest thinking this would help with the problem. As the mailman approached, my dog jumped off the bed to bark at him, catching my earlobe with a claw on her rear foot. While I'm still trying to keep from passing out, all the blood must have upset the dog's stomach because she started vomiting. Shortly thereafter, a woman knocked on my door to tell me my sidewalks were icing over and she nearly fell. It was hard to appear to be the caring person I was expected to be at that time.

The human side of me took over at this point and I began to moan to The Father, "What have I done?"

That's when I received the distinct impression I was moaning when I should be thanking and to prove this point by the end of the miserable day, I'd received the largest donation ever given to The Living in Simple Faith House and an all-expenses paid trip to the East Coast.

Yes, my Heavenly Father understands patterns and trends and how to use them to build my faith.

"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it" --Malachi 3:10 (NIV)