by: Erin Austin 

Common sense and modern-day thinking tell us to have all the money before we start something new. There needs to be a plan in order to succeed. Yet God works differently than us. One needs to only read the Bible to see that God often tells His people to do something and then, He only blesses them once they’ve taken the first step. This is something Joy Ranch has seen on a regular basis. 

Mary McHenry wrote in Feed My Lambs that when they decided to build the second cottage at Joy Ranch, she thought they would be able to begin construction immediately and “there would be no further tests of faith as far as Joy Ranch was concerned.” Yet that wasn’t to be. Just as the McHenrys had to trust God to provide the need for the first cottage, they also had to do the same for the second cottage. 

We’ve experienced this time and time again at the Ranch. From purchasing equipment to refurbishing the gym, we move forward one faith step at a time because God never wanted it to be about what any of us can do, but about what He can do.   

“As the widow’s ‘barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the Word of the Lord,’ God continually replenished our building fund as money was needed. Without any delay the building was completed – and fully paid for – in God’s time…..And we knew our Father’s way for us would always be ‘Forward by Faith’” (Mary McHenry). 

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My way.” ~ Isaiah 55:8 

Chapter 12 – FORWARD BY FAITH (from “Feed My Lambs” book)

Most of us remember the children’s story of the little lost lamb – how it crawled through a hole in the fence, wandered far away, and couldn’t find its way back. Then when it was chased by a wolf, the shepherd found it – tired and hungry – put it in his arms, and carried it back to the fold. 

We became more aware each day that our “fold” was filled;  and if our Shepherd were to bring more lost lambs to us, we would have to enlarge our fold.  “Even so,” our Lord had told us, “it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish” (Matthew 18:14). And we began to long for another cottage – for boys. 

In May of 1959 we had published the first issue of Life of Faith, with a subscription list of only 800. (Most of the names had been secured by Carroll County school children selling subscriptions for $1 a year and in turn receiving a scriptural award.) It was a small mailing list, to be sure, but we were overjoyed. Now we had readers to share our burdens with, and we had friends who would pray and give for another cottage. 

Furthermore, our Lord was prospering Life of Faith, and the mailing list was growing. Would it be a large matter to build another cottage? We thought not. So in less than a year after the first children had come, we began writing and talking about a new cottage. 

Now I somehow had the idea that God would simply send in through His people enough money ($35,000) to begin construction immediately, that there would be no further tests of faith as far as Joy Ranch was concerned. But God had other plans, and we were to remember that He had said, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways” (Isaiah 55:8). 

We continued praying and telling about our need, and some contributions did come in. But when the time came that we had planned to begin construction, there were only a few thousand dollars on hand. 

“Well,” we decided, “we’ll just ask God for enough to put it under roof.” That was $15,000. We waited a little while longer, expecting any day to receive the rest of the money. 

But enough came in to total only $8,000. And then God said, “Begin to build.”  So construction began immediately, and the work moved ahead daily. As the widow’s “barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the Word of the Lord,” God continually replenished our building fund as money was needed. Without any delay the building was completed – and fully paid for – in God’s time.  And we knew our Father’s way for us would always be “Forward by Faith.”