"You who fear the Lord, believe in Him, and your reward will not fail."

"You who fear the Lord, wait for His mercy, and do not turn aside, lest you fall. You who fear the Lord, believe in Him, and your reward will not fail. You who fear the Lord, hope for good things and for everlasting gladness and mercy. Consider the ancient generations and see: who believed in the Lord and was put to shame? Or who stood fast in His fear and was forsaken? Or who called upon Him and was overlooked? Because the Lord is compassionate and merciful, He forgives sins and saves in times of affliction" (Wisdom of Sirach 2:7-11).

I came across these verses in the Orthodox Study Bible last summer when I was getting ready for my surgery. At the time, I was working hard to strengthen my faith that God would provide for my husband and me, that He would meet all of our needs when I would be unavailable to do so much of what I regularly do (and what exactly my restrictions would be was mostly unknown!). It really surprised me that God was asking us to enter into that situation. I found encouragement in these verses, because I needed to believe that all of the historical evidence, from the "ancient generations," pointed to God providing for those who trust in Him.