Last winter, Michelle Mathia got a front-row seat to see God as Jehovah Jireh, Provider.
When she first saw the email about Blue Ridge offering shelter to those without homes during the harsh weather last January, she instantly responded. She had been praying for months: “God use me.”
She knew this was the answer.
Michelle, who had worked at Lynchburg Daily Bread downtown, was among the first to show up at Blue Ridge. She immediately started making beds and helping to organize efforts.
“In the last eight years, I’ve become a ‘yes’ girl for Christ. I jumped in with both feet, but when they asked me to head up the meals, I said, ‘Oh no…I hate to cook. What have I done?’” Michelle said with a laugh.
She began putting together three meals a day with a volunteer team and support from local restaurants. “Alex, the owner of Robin Alexander, helped organize the restaurants, which was a huge blessing,” she added.
“I didn’t know what I was doing. Things were constantly changing. I had to rely on God for strength,” said Michelle, who would sometimes come in at 7 a.m. and not leave until 11 p.m. “I would say, ‘God give me strength,’ and He would give it.” Even though Michelle was there for long periods of time, she loved it. God also blessed her with a husband who used to be a chef and kids who love being at Blue Ridge.
She remembers standing in the Café and praying that God would provide drinks and snacks for between meals.
“I said a quick prayer, then I walked out of the kitchen and someone would tell me that a carload of chips, drinks and apples had just arrived.”
Michelle began to get used to saying, “Of course there is.”
Another day while the team was prepping for dinner, a mom and her 9-year-old son brought in 10 Domino’s pizzas. They told Michelle that the son said God had asked them to buy the pizzas. Michelle didn’t need them for the guests they had on hand, plus she’d already begun dinner. But she asked her husband Mark and he said, “Let’s put them in the oven to stay warm and see if we might need them.”
Just then, Blue Ridge’s pastors came to Michelle and said residents from a senior community were coming. They asked if she could handle food for them too. Michelle quickly prayed and asked God. Then, she remembered all the food that was brought to them. “I heard God say, ‘I will provide.’ So I said, ‘Yes.’”
Michelle thought the pizzas could help to feed the elderly coming, but she became overwhelmed when nearly 200 Blue Ridge volunteers showed up, too. Michelle just prayed and began to put out the pizzas for the volunteers.
“I watched those servers take what they needed and always there was one piece of pizza left in the box. It was like manna. It never ran out.”
Through this, Michelle said her trust in God grew.
At the same time as Michelle headed up the meals, she herself was unemployed and looking for work. And just as the shelter needs were winding down, Michelle got a new job. It was at New London Academy, less than a 5 minutes’ drive from church, so Michelle could continue to provide meals for the remaining guests.
It was another answer to pray. Another way God was Jehovah Jireh to Michelle.
“I was a big planner, and, in this, I could plan nothing. I learned to completely trust in God to provide.”