God is Your Provider
A few years ago, I sensed the Lord leading me to plant a church.
I was an associate pastor in a large church with plenty of responsibility and meaningful ministry… and the ‘security’ of a large base of people giving to the church budget. The consistency of a paycheck for 15 years had become something I was relying on for security.
When it came to the thought of leaving the security of a steady paycheck to plant a new church, there were plenty of objections on my part. One of the major objections was the whole concept of needing to provide for my family.
I take seriously the statement by the apostle Paul in which he says, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” (1 Timothy 5:8, ESV)
On top of this, I love my family and love to provide good things for them.
So, as the Lord seemed to continue prodding me into church planting, I reminded Him that I had four kids and one of them was starting college the next year.
The Lord gently reminded me back that He had given me each of those four children and ultimately, He was their Provider. The question was if I would I trust Him to be who He says He is.
Don’t get me wrong here. I am not saying to only pray and wait on the Lord to drop your provision in your lap. We are called to “aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12, ESV). The apostle Paul modeled this when he traveled to plant churches. It is recorded that Paul would begin integrating into the community and work to provide for his own needs through the manual labor of tent-making (see Acts 18:3).
The issue is really one of focus. I had gotten my focus—my point of reliance and trust—off the Lord and onto the security of a paycheck from a large church. The Lord was asking me to step out in faith. To believe that He would give me wisdom and strength to obey Him while trusting that He would be our Provider along the way. I had never walked this particular path before, but the Lord was clearly asking me to do so.
What I found was that God not only provided for us physically, but He provided in many other more significant ways as well. He taught me more about myself, leadership and walking in faith during those years of church planting. Little did I know at the time that it was all preparation for what He had next for me to do.
Dear Saints, the question for this week is “Why should I worry about my needs when I know that God will take care of all my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus?”
In Philippians 4:19, the apostle Paul wrote, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Let’s remember that Paul wrote this sentence while in prison after he received provision from his Philippian friends. At this point, he had been imprisoned for years and suffered greatly along the way. He had learned to be content even when in need. But his focus remained on the Lord and His goodness no matter the circumstances.
We must remember that God’s goodness is far greater than simply physical provision. Too often, we get our eyes off the Lord and onto our circumstances. We begin believing that we ‘need’ certain things when in reality, most of what we experience here in the United States falls in the category of want or desire.
Our needs are really very basic: food, water, shelter, and safety. Because we are created in God’s image and designed for relationship with God and others, we also have legitimate needs for acceptance, security and significance. But we must ask ourselves and the Lord: Where is my focus in getting my needs met? Are we trusting in the One who promises that “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness” (2 Corinthians 9:10, ESV)?
Are we willing, like Abraham in Genesis 22, to follow and obey the Lord even when what He is asking doesn’t make sense to us? Abraham left the security of what he knew to follow God’s leading. He obeyed in spite of his questions and found that “The Lord will provide” (Genesis 22:14). Like Abraham, it takes faith for us to leave the security of what we know in order to obey God. But what an opportunity that provides for us to experience God as our Provider! I discovered this as I followed Him into church planting.
So, the question is this: are you trusting in yourself and the promises of this world to meet your legitimate needs, or are you trusting in the Lord who is your Provider? I pray that you will exercise faith to obey God’s leading and, in turn, experience God’s provision in your life.