how many receipts do you have crumpled in your purse right now? at any given time, i have about a half a dozen. as the shopper and purchaser for my family, i typically hang on to my purchase receipts long enough to make sure i don't have to make any returns or exchanges.
those flimsy strips of paper in my purse bug me sometimes. the ones that really irk me are the gas pump receipts. i paid HOW MUCH for gas?? only last week!?!
a few months ago i started doing this quirky little thing with my receipts that has really turned into a fun new way to pursue God. it happened at the gas station after paying an arm and a leg to fill up my tank. $78.07 to be exact. i pulled the receipt out of the machine, got into my gas-guzzler, and stared at that little piece of paper. i couldn't ignore those numbers next to TOTAL: $78.07. they seemed to get bigger and bolder, and i was getting angry at how much i'd just had to spend. and then it happened...i saw something different in those numbers.
i saw 78:7.
i grabbed my phone, opened YouVersion, and searched 78:1. this is what popped up:
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| Psalm 78:7 |
so i did it again the next time i went grocery shopping. and i did it again when i picked up the dry cleaning. i did it with my Costco receipt and my Dollar Tree receipt. every number next to TOTAL was a chance to dig into God's Word and seek Him in that moment.
and here is where God took me for each receipt:
here is a handful of receipts from my purse:
and here is where God took me for each receipt:
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| $61.51 to Matthew 6:15 |
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| $74.44 to Luke 7:44 |
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| $4.56 to Psalm 45:6 |
i think God is trying to tell me something about forgiveness and mercy, yes?
this quirky little habit of using my receipts as prayer prompts has given me a whole new perspective on those crinkled up papers in the bottom of my purse. it's a new way of trusting the Lord with my finances and being intentional about praying in every day mundane moments. it is good, yall.
change that little . to : and watch what happens to your spirit.
