All in God’s Provision
Living water flows from Jesus Christ, and we accept this readily, but we don’t consider often enough that this same living water flows from us. We hear that we should believe in Jesus, and that He is the living Son of God, but we don’t dwell so much on how the power of Christ abides in us. Scripture tells us that Christ abides in us, and we in Him, and as the truth of this becomes apparent to us, the further truth of His power residing in us becomes apparent as well.
We get up in the morning, say a quick prayer, wash ourselves, and then prepare to dress, but now the decisions of the day begin... we must decide what we should wear. We can easily decide which shirt to put on, or between blue jeans or slacks, but the one choice that determines how our day will really go is this... will we put on the armor of God? Will we wear just the breastplate, or the full suit of armor today? Perhaps at this point in our daily routine we fool ourselves completely, and wear nothing at all.
We go through our day working hard to secure those things that will sustain us, but as we complete today’s chores we often forget the one who has made this possible, and who actually provides for us. Over the course of time we tend to forget who gave us the skills we now employ, or even the breath we breathe, and we claim our efforts as our own. Our faith is like a cathedral that is still under construction after hundreds of years; the amazing foundation stones given by God when the ground was first broken are long forgotten, and only what has just been added is praised. The Lord provides for His children now as He gives us every good thing... building today on the blessings of yesterday.
When was the last time that someone took the blame for something you did? Better yet, when was the last time you took the blame for an offense that someone else committed? For this to occur in either way it involves love. The person who stands in propitiation for someone must at the very least like them enough to take the punishment, but as the offense, or sin, increases in its distaste, then the love must increase as well.
Do we profess faithfulness, and yet are dissatisfied with our life? Is our faith easily shouldered on Sunday, but burdened down by life the remainder of the week? We are meant to be satisfied in every aspect of our lives by our faith alone, and yet we often find ourselves wanting the things of the world, and asking in prayer for the worldly. Contentment in those things that God provides through His Word, and that Jesus teaches us, should be enough to meet our every need... and yet the comforts of the world continue to tempt us, and we wander lost so much of the time.
We travel the sandy wilderness of life, time, and across the perilous pits of sin; like skittering ants we run because the way ahead is fraught with danger. The funneled traps of ant lions have been constructed everywhere to bring us to our demise as we seek the holiness, and righteousness of God... these traps are the work of Satan, but we are instructed to clothe ourselves each day in the armor of God, and promised to be defended by His strong right arm... so that in His care we can walk boldly in faith, and find His truth sustains us against Satan’s schemes.
Are you feeling weak and afraid today? Is there something confronting you that terrifies you, and causes you to tremble, or makes you lay awake in the night... unable to sleep because of worry? If this is true then you are refusing to leave those things with the Lord. You are carrying them into your prayer closet, placing them in the Father’s hands, and then bringing them right back out with you at the end of your time of prayer. If this is you, then you are saying that you lean on God, and yet those are just words to you.
The Lord used the few to conquer the many in the story of Gideon’s three hundred men. He first used Gideon’s own fear as He sent him with his servant Purah to hide at the outskirts of the massive camp of Midian, and spy on them. Then God showed Gideon how to defeat Midian’s army by using their own great fear against them. God understands our fears, but more than that He understands the deep seated fears of our enemies. What are our fears, and can God use them to do His will? Can He use our few to defeat the many?
Who do we look to for our sustenance? Who feeds us body, and soul? We are inclined to think that we are fed by the sweat of our brow, or by the application of our wits, but these are just the ways in which we gather up what God has provided for us... this is our part in the gift and the gathering that the Word of God describes.
Do we rejoice when God moves in our life? We say yes, but are we looking for His hand in all the everyday occurrences? We give thanks for the dramatic movements of God’s hand, yet we are inclined to attribute the small and seemingly insignificant happenings in our everyday existence to either ourselves, or to the natural occurrence of life. Let’s look at our days through fresh eyes, and search for God there in new ways; then, when we see Him, let’s thank Him for His presence.
Do you tremble when faced with hardship? Do overwhelming odds cause you to run, or look for a place to hide? Do you surrender to sin, or to the unrighteous because you don’t see any way to be victorious? Well, if your cause is good and within His will, and if you believe that God can never be defeated, then you should not fear, or lose heart. God gives us certain victory.
Do you complain to God during the times of hardship in your life, or cry out in anguish to Him in the times of pain and suffering as if they were meant to punish you? Perhaps we need to take a lesson from the fruit bearing trees and vines that grow gangly unattended, and don’t produce fruit in quality or quantity. The times we find the hardest are those that benefit us the most.