God’s provision

 

 

 

 

God cares for us

 

The Scripture teaches that our God cares for all those who fear Him and He meets their needs.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God who in the fulness of the time came into the world, explained in various ways that God cares for us His children. Here is what he said: “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof” (Matthew 6:24-34). Therefore, if God feeds the birds of the air and clothes the grass of the field, which are much less important than us, we cannot think that God takes no interest in us when we need something to eat or when we need some clothes or a pair of shoes. We are of more value than the birds of the air and the grass of the field in the sight of God.

The care of God for us, however, is not restricted to food and clothes, for it includes every material need, for Peter and Paul, who were apostles of Jesus Christ, exhort us to trust God to provide for all of our needs. Here are their words. Peter says: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:6-7) and Paul says: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 – NIV).

Will God really meet our needs? Will such a great God grant us our petitions which we ask of Him? YES, HE WILL. No matter if our needs may seem little or big, God will meet all of them, for His Word says: “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). We believe in this promise, many times we have experienced the truthfulness of this promise.

We must neither worry nor despair when we are in need of something, rather we must pray with faith and sincerity, and He certainly will answer us. For Jesus said: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:7-11), and also: “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:22), and again: “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:7) and again: “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you” (John 16:23).

Finally, know this, that sometimes God meets our needs even before we call unto Him or while we are still praying to Him, as it is written: “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear” (Isaiah 65:24).

 

 

Biblical examples of how God met some people’s needs

 

God provided flesh, bread and water for the people of Israel in the desert, as it is written: “Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, And had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of heaven. Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full. He caused an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the south wind. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls like as the sand of the sea: And he let it fall in the midst of their camp, round about their habitations. So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own desire” (Psalm 78:23-29) and also: “He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink as out of the great depths. He brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers” (Psalm 78:15-16).

God provided food, for a certain period of time, for the prophet Elijah through the ravens, as it is written: “And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook” (1 Kings 17:2-6). And when the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land, God sent Elijah to Zarephath to a poor widow who had only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar, which God multiplied till the day He sent rain upon the earth. Here is what the Bible says: “And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah” (1 Kings 17:7-16).

In the time of the prophet Elisha, God wrought a miracle on behalf of a widow, whose two sons were going to be taken into slavery by her late husband’s creditor. Here is the biblical account of this miracle: “Now there cried a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and thou knowest that thy servant did fear the LORD: and the creditor is come to take unto him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell me, what hast thou in the house? And she said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neighbours, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou shalt set aside that which is full. So she went from him, and shut the door upon her and upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured out. And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest” (2 Kings 4:1-7).

God gave a child to Hannah who was barren, in answer to her prayer, as it is written: “Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb. And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb. And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat. Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons? So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad. And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her. Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD. And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the LORD the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the LORD, and there abide for ever. And Elkanah her husband said unto her, Do what seemeth thee good; tarry until thou have weaned him; only the LORD establish his word. So the woman abode, and gave her son suck until she weaned him. And when she had weaned him, she took him up with her, with three bullocks, and one ephah of flour, and a bottle of wine, and brought him unto the house of the LORD in Shiloh: and the child was young. And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. And she said, Oh my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there” (1 Samuel 1:1-28).

God sent rain upon the land of Israel, after three years and six months, in answer to Elijah’s prayer, as it is written: “And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit” (James 5:18).

 

 

A warning

 

Sometimes God can work in a supernatural way in order to meet our material needs. For He can multiply our money, bread, water, oil, etc.; He can even for a time prevent our clothes and shoes from wearing out; He can send us some food through the ravens or some other animals, or through His angels, etc. However, in most cases, God will supply our needs through believing people (and sometimes even through unbelievers). Here are some Bible passages which confirm this.

God supplied the needs of the apostle Paul through the believers, for Paul wrote to the saints of Philippi: “Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God” (Philippians 4:15-18), and to the saints of Corinth: “And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself” (2 Corinthians 11:9). Paul says about Epaphroditus, who was one of his fellow-workers: “Receive him therefore in the Lord with all gladness; and hold such in reputation: Because for the work of Christ he was nigh unto death, not regarding his life, to supply your lack of service toward me” (Philippians 2:29-30). Concerning the collection for the poor among the saints, Paul says: “For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God” (2 Corinthians 9:12).

Therefore, if we see a brother or a sister who needs food, clothes or something else, and we have the things he or she needs, we must not say to our brother or sister: ‘Go your way, ask God for what you need and He will give it to you!’ because the Scripture commands us to open our hand in order to supply his or her needs and to serve him or her. The Scripture says: “Share with God’s people who are in need” (Romans 12:13 – NIV). Woe unto us if we send away our needy brother or sister empty-handed, when we can help him or her. For God will punish us, and when we ourselves are in need of something He will not hear our prayer, for it is written: “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard” (Proverbs 21:13). And then these words “As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee” (Obadiah 15) will be fulfilled, because God is righteous. Instead, “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again” (Proverbs 19:17), for the same reason, because God is righteous.

 

 

About prayer

 

As I said before, according to the Scripture we must pray to God when we are in need of something and God will certainly answer our prayer. However, this important thing must be said: our prayer, in order to be answered by God, must be made with faith, with a pure heart, and according to the will of God.

Let us see what it means to pray in faith. The apostle Matthew wrote this story: “Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And presently the fig tree withered away. And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive” (Matthew 21:18-22). Please note that we can ask God for whatever we want, but our prayer will be answered only if we have faith and doubt not. What does ‘if we have faith’ mean? Let us see what Jesus said on the same occasion according to Mark: “Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them” (Mark 11:22-24). Therefore when we pray we must believe that we receive what we ask for. On the contrary, if we doubt we will not receive what we ask for, for James in his epistle says: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:5-8).

Let us now see what ‘to pray with a pure heart’ means. When we pray we must have a right heart before God, that is, we must not be double-hearted, or else God will not answer our prayer. In one of the Psalms it is written: “I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me” (Psalm 66:17-20). Therefore in our heart there must not be any hypocrisy, or hatred, or falsehood; or else God, who knows our heart, will not answer us. We saw before how God does not answer the prayer of those who do not have mercy on the poor. That confirms that God cannot be mocked; He is Holy and Just and does not tolerate unrighteousness and hypocrisy in our life. Be on guard, live a holy and right and godly life, otherwise God will not answer your prayers. Remember what God said to the Jews through the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. Their feet run to evil, and they make hast to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace” (Isaiah 59:1-8).

Now let us see what ‘to pray to God according to his will’ means. The apostle John says in his first epistle: “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14-15). It is evident therefore that if what we ask of God is not according to His will, even though it is lawful for us to ask that particular thing from God, our request will not be granted. A biblical example of a prayer which was not answered because it was not according to God’s will is that of the apostle Paul concerning the angel of Satan which God had put near him to buffet him. Here is what Paul says to the saints in Corinth: “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:7-9).

 

 

A word of encouragement

 

Brother in the Lord, do not lose heart when you are in need. The God who provided food and water for a whole nation for forty years in the wilderness; the God who provided food for his servant Elijah through the ravens, which brought him bread and flesh in the morning and in the evening; the God who gave Hannah a son in answer to her tearful prayer, He will provide for your needs. However, do not refuse to meet the needs of the saints, for as we saw before, the Scripture states that if a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.

The ears of our God are open to the prayer of the righteous and He cares for you, for Jesus said that our Father knows what we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8).

Therefore, when you are in need, do not put your trust in man but rather take refuge in the Lord, pour out your soul before the Lord, talk with Him, pray to Him in faith and God will meet your needs. Remember that God said: “Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” (Psalm 50:14-15).

 

“The LORD hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee; Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion; Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice; Selah. Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel. We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our God we will set up our banners: the LORD fulfil all thy petitions”

 

(Psalm 20:1-5)

 

Giacinto Butindaro

 

 

 

 

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