From God comes…
One of the many names for God in the Old Testament is Yahweh Yireh or Jehovah Jireh which means “The Lord Will Provide.” First found in Genesis 22:13-14, the actual Hebrew word here means “provide” or “see” or “see to it.” God is our provider. He will see to it that all our needs are supplied. (Philippians 4:19) He will make sure we have enough.
Of course, God’s idea of enough and ours could differ. When Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, they appeared to have everything needed for a happy existence. However, Satan showed up and convinced them they needed more, so they ate the forbidden fruit. (Genesis 3) Guess what? Satan has been convincing people through the ages that what God provides is not enough.
From Satan comes feelings of envy, lust, and greed. We want what the other guy has. (Psalm 72:2-3) We think, “Why do they have all the good things in life and I don’t?” These thoughts drain all the joy out of our lives and make it impossible to appreciate what God has provided for us.
We live in a world bombarding us with subliminal messages telling us we aren’t rich enough, thin enough, smart enough, successful enough, or happy enough—all designed to fill us with discontent. We aren’t thankful for what God provides physically, so we miss what He provides spiritually. Charles Spurgeon once said, “It’s not how much we have, but how much we enjoy that makes happiness.”
Missionary Hudson Taylor had a passion to reach the people of China. At one point, his financial secretary told him he had a balance of twenty-five cents in his account. Taylor enthusiastically replied, “Twenty-five cents? I’m rich! I have 25 cents, and all the promises of God!”
It wasn’t the quarter that made him rich; it was all the promises of God. Our God can supply all our needs! (Philippians 4:19) A quarter in God’s hands is more than enough than a million dollars in the hands of man. Jesus fed the 5000 with a few fish and a small amount of bread, proving that a little is a lot when God is involved. (Matthew 14:15-21)
God is able to supply all our physical and spiritual needs. Jesus is the bread of life. (John 6:35) He is the living water. (John 4:13-14) God is the strength of our hearts. (Psalm 73:25-26) God is love. (1 John 4:8) God is our provider. As we trust God, we begin to see that from Him comes all the provisions we need in every facet of our lives.
“Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God…”
~James 1:17 (NLT)
