Mat 6:25-26, 28-33, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? …28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”
My daughter asked me a question about my previous posting, and I think the answer I gave her might be of benefit to many. She wanted to know how to reconcile the act of just giving thanks to the fact that during our family devotions, we most often found ourselves making requests to God. I gave her a response using an image.
When a baby is hungry or wants to sleep, he cries and his mother understands the message. When he is a little bigger and can speak, he expresses his hunger more or less patiently with words. Then, as a young teenager or adult, he enters the kitchen and makes himself a sandwich or heats-up the food. In everyone of these cases, the solution was in the house even before the child became hungry.
A mother who has bought the fruits and the cereals that her 17 year old daughter loves, would be shocked if the latter came to beg her for a fruit or to eat a bit of cereals whenever she would like to. The normal attitude would be that the young teenager comes home, sees the groceries, simply says "thank you mom, for the fruits and cereals…," and then, eats whenever she needs to, wouldn’t it?
During our family devotions, we are conscious of the various spiritual ages and we have to accommodate everybody and make sure the younger ones understand what is going on and grow at their own pace.
Nevertheless, we must realize that God is a lot more than this mother: He has already shopped for EVERYTHING that we will need. We only need to thank Him for that, then, enter in His kitchen and help ourselves.
What did He tell Elijah? When famine and drought raged in Israel, God told Elijah: "Depart from here and turn eastward and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there." (1Ki 17:3-4). And the Bible tells us that the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening. Then, when the brook dried, God told him: "Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you." (vs 9)
God did not say, “Go by the brook Cherith and sort yourself out. Go to Zarephath and look around; maybe someone will have pity on you.” No. He told him, “Go there, don’t worry about anything, I have already put your sustenance systems in place. I have already taken care of EVERYTHING. I have already given orders to ravens and to a widow, concerning you.”
That's why I say it’s impossible, and I mean IMPOSSIBLE to lack of provision while we are where God wants us to be (the right place), when He wants us to be there (the right time) and actually doing what He sent us to do (the right desires).
Food, drink and clothing are guaranteed to children of God. They should NEVER be worried about these things, they don’t have to cry or beg for them. They should simply give thanks to God for these things and listen to Him telling them -like Elijah and Abraham- where they are.
If you find yourself in lack, simply ask yourself these questions:
1) Am I at the right place? Did God ask me to settle here? To take this job? To leave my country? If Elijah had gone elsewhere than to the brook Cherith or to Zarephath, he would have starved to death and deprived the nation of a prophet.
2) Is it the right time for me to be here? God can tell you to go here or there; but, you may go there too soon or too late. There was a precise period during which Elijah was to stay at the brook. Had he decided to go to Zarephath a few days later, he may have died of thirst (even along the way; God alone knew how much reserves he had). Had Joseph brought his family back sooner, Herod would have had Jesus assassinated (Matthew 2:13).
3) Do I have the right desires? Jesus introduces His remarks about worries with: "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money (Mammon)." (vs 24) And concludes with: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” (vs 33) In other words, “Let your needs be God’s needs and you shall always see His provision.” If I'm contented with what God wants for me and for which He has already provided, instead of desiring what Mammon (the God-money) can and will give me, I will have no worries. However, I can be in the right place at the right time, but refuse to settle for the ravens’ bread and meat or the widow’s food. I can refuse any frugality and modesty in my tastes and let myself be seduced by all the 'best' and all the luxuries that money can offer... At Moriah, the ram provided by God was waiting for Abraham on the mountain. Imagine what would have happened if Abe had decided that he’d rather sacrifice a cow? At the brook Cherith and Zarephath, God had also prepared Elijah’s menu ahead of time; what would have happened if the prophet had disdained it, having something else in mind for his meals? He would have experienced lack and would have died of hunger.
What is your situation today? Are you running after things for which there is no provision in your environment? If so, watch out because you'll be quickly frustrated and may turn to solutions that are not divine. However, if you're where you ought to be, when you ought to be and actually doing what the Lord wants and nothing else, then God will supply ALL your needs… because they are His.
God bless and prosper you.
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