God Will Supply Every Need

And my God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

Manna.  What is it?  That was the question the people of Israel asked when it first appeared on the ground.  They had been in the desert only a short time following their escape from slavery in Egypt.  They were hungry and began accusing Moses and Aaron of bringing them out to the wilderness to die of hunger.  Manna was God’s answer to their need for food.  (We read about this in Exodus 16:1-36.)

            Why did God command the people to gather only enough manna for one day?  Why not gather enough for several days or even a whole week?   Wouldn’t it save a lot of time if they gathered more than one day’s supply at a time? 

I believe the people needed a daily reminder that their manna, their food, was God’s provision for them.  If they were allowed to gather as much as they wanted, they could eventually forget this was God’s provision and begin to think it was their own ability to gather a lot that was to be admired.  Instead, the one-day-at-a-time supply forced the people to acknowledge daily that their food was a miracle from God.  Each morning as they went outside to get enough for the day, their minds should have turned in gratitude toward the God who had supplied it.

            Probably most of us are in the position the Israelites would have been in if they had been permitted to gather as much as they wanted.   If we think about it at all, we may be tempted to think that we have provided for our own needs.  We buy what we need with the money we have earned from our own jobs.  It is easy to forget that without God we would not even be able to take another breath.  Life itself, and every good and perfect gift, comes from Him (James 1:17). We need to remember to acknowledge God and thank Him for His daily provisions. 

            Not only should we acknowledge God’s daily provisions for our own lives, but we need to come to Him daily for “food” to give others.  Think about the miracle of Jesus feeding the multitudes (Mark 6:30-44).  Jesus had spent the whole day healing the sick.  When evening came, the disciples pointed out to Jesus it was time to send the people away so that they could go into the villages and buy food for themselves. Jesus said, “They do not need to go away; you give them something to eat!”  Of course, the disciples didn’t have the resources it would take to buy food for that many people!  I can hear the sarcasm in their voices as they respond, “Shall we go and spend 200 denarii on bread and give them something to eat?”  (200 denarii is equivalent to 8 months wages for a common laborer.) Jesus told the disciples to gather what was available.  They brought back five loaves and two fish–pathetically little compared to what was needed!  Jesus said, “Bring them here to Me.”  He blessed what they had, broke it, and “kept giving them to the disciples to set before the multitude” (Luke 9:16). Notice that the disciples had to keep coming back to Jesus to get refills so they could distribute food to the people.  In Jesus’ hands, that little offering became more than enough to meet the need!

            This is encouraging to me when I think of ministering to people Jesus brings into my life.  My first reaction is, “I don’t have what they need.”  And that’s true — I don’t.  But then I remind myself of the truth in 2 Corinthians 3:5. My adequacy comes from Him, not from myself.  I don’t have what they need, but God does.  I have to keep coming back to Him for wisdom to help them trust God to provide all they need.

            The needs around us are overwhelming.  People all over the world are in desperate need.  What do I have to offer?  Jesus says, “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).   But what about the needs of the people Jesus has placed right in my path?  The attitude I want to have every day is one of complete dependence on God for the provisions He wants me to have, both for my own life and for the needs of others that He brings to my attention.  I can bring to Jesus the gifts He has given me.  I can present myself to Him as a living sacrifice and be available to serve.  Through His miraculous power, I can do what He calls me to do because He promises to supply every need.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

Has God brought a specific need to your attention that He may be asking you to respond to?

Do you feel inadequate to meet that need?  Are you willing to trust Him to provide everything you need to take the next step in meeting the need?

Write out your prayer to God.  Remember to thank Him for His promise to provide everything you need.