God Provides But…
We want to be provided for. But is God our Father?
We all have needs. We need food, water, clothing, and shelter to survive. We need to take care of our families and protect them. But around the world, it's becoming increasingly hard to meet these needs due to economic instability, government corruption, human greediness, and the many injustices and atrocities that are committed every day.
Doesn't God promise to supply our needs (note: needs, not wants)? He does. "God provides." It's something that many of us believe and say all the time. Scripture conveys this fundamental truth that God provides for our needs. Jesus offered these words in His famous Sermon on the Mount: "Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all" (Matt. 6:31-32 ESV). Jesus told His followers not to worry about their needs but to trust that God their Father will provide for them.
God provides. It's clear in Scripture. But there's something that we need to wrestle with: this truth doesn't apply to absolutely everybody. According to Jesus' instruction mentioned above, this promise is reserved for those who call God their "heavenly Father." Not everybody believes and trusts in God as their Father in Heaven. As sad as it sounds, the promise doesn't necessarily apply to them. But if we worship and honor God as our Father in Heaven and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we become "children of God" (see Jn. 1:12-13). And if God is our Father and we are His children, we can rest assured that He will provide for our needs as we "seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (Matt. 6:33 ESV).
We want to be provided for. But is God our Father? Do we worship and honor Him? Do we revere and submit to Him? Do we love Him?
There's an interesting story in the Old Testament of a widow who had two sons. The widow was in incredible debt. The debt was so large that the creditor was going to take her children and turn them into slaves. The widow sought the help of God through the prophet Elisha. Elisha worked out a miracle for the family to have an abundant supply of oil to sell so that they could pay off the debt and have some left over to live on. You can read the story in 2 Kings 4:1-7.
It's clear that God miraculously provided for the needs of this widow and her children. What a crazy story. But what caught my attention was how the widow first lived a life that revered God. In fact, she mentioned this fact to Elisha as she desperately sought help: “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord, but the creditor has come to take my two children to be his slaves” (2 Kings 4:1 ESV). The widow "feared the Lord." She worshiped Him, revered Him, followed Him. She was one of God's children. And God provides for His children.
This promise of provision is for those who love God and are considered His children. It doesn't mean that God can't work in the lives of unbelievers. He can. But there's no guarantee. The promise is ultimately for the children of God.
Is God your Father in Heaven? Today, He can be your Father and you can be His child. "But to all who did receive [Jesus], who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" (Jn. 1:12 ESV).
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
