This post was written by Tacoi Bell of The Anointed Editorial. To connect with Tacoi, see the information in the bio at the end of this post.
I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his child begging for bread. (Psalm 37:35, ESV)
The Bible offers many promises for the children of God. One of those promises is that God will provide for those who trust in him. And God’s provision in one believer’s life can look different when compared to another’s; after all, Exodus 3:14 says that God calls himself “I am who I am.” This means that whatever we need him to be, he will become that for us.
The Lord Who Provides
In Genesis 22, God is called Jehovah-jireh by Abraham, meaning “the Lord will provide” (v. 14). Like a loving father, the Lord is concerned with our well-being and wants to take care of our needs. He doesn’t want us to lack anything, but when necessary, he will let us stumble and fall so that we get the point. God’s provision can apply to various aspects of our life. Here are just four of many.
Health
We often hear heaven discussed as a place free of sickness, disease, and illness. This is because where God is, these issues of life cannot dwell in his presence. However, we don’t need to wait until we reach heaven to see eradication of disease; we can have it now. God promises to provide health and long life to us.
Psalm 91:6 reads
With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. (ESV)
Additionally, there’s Isaiah 53:5:
But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. (ESV)
Healthy bodies are our portion, and Jesus is faithful to fulfill his word to us.
Wealth
You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18, ESV)
When we say provision, most people think of monetary gain. And it is true: God does provide in the area of finances. He gives us the ability to obtain wealth — and it is wealth that adds no sorrow to our life. It is for our enjoyment as well as for providing financial resources to advance the work of the Lord here on earth. This is important to remember as we think about how to carry our faith to work with us every day. It is not of our own strength that we are able to move through the ranks at our job and obtain more money. No, it is the Lord who makes the way.
Sustenance
God’s hand is always on our sustenance, the nourishment that strengthens our body. In the Bible, there are many stories of God supernaturally providing for the physical needs of people. Mark 6 recounts the story of Jesus feeding more than 5,000 people from five loaves of bread and two fish. In 1 Kings 17, Elijah prophesies to a woman that she will have a continual flow of flour and oil for bread until God lifts the drought from the land. Jesus tells us that he is the bread of life, and those who turn to him and believe in him will never be hungry or thirsty (John 6:35). What a promise of provision from the Savior.
Wisdom
King Solomon is regarded as the wisest man to ever live because he asked that God give him wisdom (1 Kings 3:9), which God happily agreed to do. Though we may not ever reach the depths of wisdom that Solomon had, wisdom is still a spiritual gift that we can only receive because the Lord wants us to have it.
Our belief in God is loaded with many earthly and spiritual benefits. Of those, we are assured that we will always receive his love and care. We can rest confidently in the knowledge that we will be provided for so that we can provide for others. God will not ever leave us to figure life out on our own. It’s a beautiful relationship we have with him.
Featured photo by Benjamin Davies on Unsplash; in-text photo by Worshae on Unsplash
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