By Benescke Janse van Rensburg

Today I want to share a story with you about God's ability to provide what we need - sometimes in interesting ways. This is the testimony of Henrick van Wyk:

Henrick: “One morning about 6 years ago, I discovered a video on YouTube titled ‘God's Love Letter to you.’ The words and scripture in the video touched me deeply. With a burning desire to share the video with someone, I decided that I would share it with Gloria, our housekeeper, when she arrived that morning.

"I was still waiting for Gloria, when I saw Petrus, Gloria’s husband, walking past our home. I called him closer with the words, ‘Come look here, I want to show you something!’ After I showed Petrus the video, he said with tears in his eyes, ‘Yes, God cares for us.’ I could see something was wrong. With pain in his eyes, he told me that his son Thato, who was a first-year student at the PUK, could not write his final exam due to outstanding tuition fees.

"Thato grew up with our children. He was a gifted child and I enrolled him with our children at Kumon. I was aware of the distinctions he achieved during his first year at university. He was enrolled for a course in B.Sc. Computer Science.

"Together with Petrus, I knew we were facing a disaster. I wanted to help, but where do you scrape out R32,000. We did not have it. My head started thinking furiously.

"Out of pure desperation, I grabbed Petrus’ hands and said, 'Now we pray! You in Pedi, I will pray in Afrikaans.' The two of us prayed while holding hands. God's presence was so tangible in that moment that it felt like an electric current was moving through my hands. Even Petrus afterwards testified that he experienced the current through his body.

"After we prayed, I said to Petrus, 'The Lord is going to take care of you, that is certain.' As he walked away, I prayed, 'Lord, what must I do?'

"I sent out two messages to businesses that could possibly grant a scholarship to a very promising student. Literally minutes later, I received a reply from one of the people with the message that he would settle the bill privately. Later that morning, R32,000 was paid into Thato's student account.

"Thato passed his first year with distinction. Eventually he passed his honors degree in Mathematics with distinction. Today he has a very good job in the computer industry. God is really good! He is still our Provider!”

Henrick is right. God is good. In Psalm 116: 5: “The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.”

Was it God who caused Petrus to walk past the house that morning? Did He perhaps prepare Henrick in advance - just as he touched the benefactor's heart later that day to donate the outstanding money? God is closer to us than we think and sometimes more involved than we give Him credit for. Let us start to live with gratitude again. God bless.

Father God, thank you for being interested in the details of my life. Please help me not to become fearful in times of need, but to always remember that You are a compassionate God. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

• PHOTOS: See photo of Henrick as well as Thato and his family at www.benescke.co.za or https://www.facebook.com/storiesvanhoop/

• NEW BOOK: Get Benescke Janse van Rensburg's new book, God is steeds God (Afrikaans) here: https://benescke.co.za/aanlyn-winkel/ Use VERS for a special discounted price. Buy two books and get your postage for free.

• FEEDBACK: If you want to give feedback about the series or also have a testimony that you would like to share, please use this email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.