The Dare That Changed Everything

Marcus and Elena Rivera had been married three years when Marcus lost his warehouse job in Memphis. They were already stretched thin — rent, a used Corolla with a transmission problem, and their daughter Lily's daycare. When their pastor preached on tithing that Sunday, Elena squeezed Marcus's hand and whispered, "I think we should try it."

Marcus thought she was out of her mind. They had $2,100 in checking and bills that outpaced it. But something in the verse stopped him cold: "Test me in this." He had never heard God issue a dare before. The Almighty, the One who holds galaxies in place, was saying, "Go ahead. Try me."

They wrote a check for $210 that week. Marcus felt physically sick dropping it in the offering plate.

Within ten days, his former supervisor called with a better-paying position at a new facility. The mechanic who looked at the Corolla found a simpler fix than expected — $400 instead of $1,600. Elena's mother, unprompted, sent a check for Lily's daycare.

Marcus will tell you plainly: the math never should have worked. But Malachi 3:10 isn't about math. It is the only place in all of Scripture where the Lord Almighty invites His people to put Him to the test — and then promises to throw open the floodgates of heaven. The Riveras took the dare. The floodgates opened.