One job application rejection after the next, failing your final exams, rapidly rising prices, no savings, a sudden illness with long downtime. And then the car and the fridge both break down. Fear of the future. What will happen next?
Uncertainty about what the future holds can be frightening. Will my pension be enough? What if I fall seriously ill? What if the car breaks down completely at some point? Will a new war break out, including inflation and high energy costs?
Our often natural reaction is to worry! We often forget that… … God has everything under control. … nothing happens that God does not allow. … God always has a way out. … God cares for us!
The last point, in particular, is crucial: because God cares for us, we don’t need to worry! If we worry, this basically dishonors our Lord because we distrust Him and His care and provision.
“God is ready to give us everything we need when we need it.” (Hudson Taylor)
A small example makes this clear: Suppose my small children were to secretly stash cookies under their bed. When I find out, I ask them why, to which they reply: “Daddy, we don’t know for sure whether you’ll be able to buy enough food for us in the future. That’s why we’re making provisions for the day ourselves!” As a father, wouldn’t I be deeply saddened by this?
The Lord encourages us today that we don’t need to be afraid (of the future) because He will provide for us! Two Bible verses that clearly confirm this:
- “Do not worry about your life… So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’, or ‘What shall we drink?’, or ‘What shall we wear?’” (Matt 6:25, 31)
- “There I will provide for you.” (Gen 45:11) – God said this to Jacob, who was afraid of what it would be like in Egypt, where he was to go.
These promises are a protection against fears of the future! Let us heed the wonderful statement from Philippians 4:19: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” One might also call it: “The cheque from the bank of faith.”
“My God” – the name of the banker.
“shall supply” – the payment agreement.
“all your need“[1] – the value of the check.
“according to His riches” – the bank’s capital.
“in glory” – the location of the bank.
“in Christ Jesus” – the signature under the cheque, without which the cheque would be invalid.
“By the grace of God, my eyes do not look at the empty pantries and the empty purse, but at the riches of our Lord alone.” (George Müller)
Do we trust that God is still the same as when ravenous ravens provided Elijah with bread and meat at the brook Cherith? A long time ago, a believing father was no longer financially able to provide for his family. All his provisions had been used up, and there was nowhere in his village that he could get anything to eat. As he entered his front garden, a large pike suddenly fell right at his feet. A heron had dropped it because it had become too heavy for him. What a miracle! What do we think about such experiences of faith? “Unbelief just shakes its head. Doubt shrugs its shoulders. Faith expects God to keep His word and is not surprised when He performs miracles.” Indeed – God’s ravens are still flying!
The more we keep this in mind, the easier it will be for us to take Phil 4:6 to heart: “Be anxious for nothing.” Then, like Peter, we can fearlessly find the courage to practically walk on water – over the rough waves that want to worry us.
God cares for you and me. We need more of the confidence of small children who don’t think for a second about whether or how food will be on the table the next day. Isn’t our God a much more reliable Father? As I shouldn’t find a stash of cookies under my children’s bed, so I shouldn’t be allowed to stash anything for fear that my heavenly Father would no longer provide for me.
“We should not worry about tomorrow. For when tomorrow comes, the evil may not even be there. And if it is there, God will be there too.” (William Kelly)
The Lord Jesus tells you today: “Do not be afraid! No matter how bleak the prospects for the future may be, I will reliably provide for you! You need to have no doubt that my care will stop at any point!”
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Footnote:
[1] It does not literally mean “everything”, which we might sometimes wish for, but “all your need”. Our Lord knows exactly what is needed. Perhaps we do not receive what we would like to have – in that case it would not have been necessary in the eyes of God. He is like a good father who does not fulfill every wish of his children, but only the good ones.
