“Wait a minute, David. Don’t you speak of the valley of the shadow of death, of evil, and enemies in the same psalm? How can you say that you lack nothing?”
“Wait a minute, Moses, the people were often hungry and thirsty; once the water was bitter, enemies were lurking. How can you say that they lacked nothing?”
“Wait a minute, Paul, aren’t you writing this verse directly from prison and mentioning your needs? How can you say that God gives everything?”
You could ask these three men of God. Full of confidence, they wrote that God had always and everywhere provided for everything. But does this correspond to reality?
We may sometimes have similar thoughts: Why doesn’t God answer my prayers? Why do I only get rejections on job applications? Why do I lack this and that? Why does my brother have more than me?
The key will lie in Paul’s wording. He doesn’t say, “My God will give you everything” or “My God will give you everything you want,” but “My God will give you everything you need.”
God knows best what we really need. Even though a bigger house, a newer car, better health, and a more frequent vacation may seem helpful to us, there may be one reason why the Lord holds back some things: It’s not necessary for us! God sees the big picture!
A simple example: If my young son came to me with a request for 100 pieces of candy and I granted it, I would be a bad father. But if I gave him a sweet and then a healthy apple, I would be caring. My son may not know what is necessary and what is just a wish, unlike me.
This is why our heavenly Father gives us everything that is necessary and does not give us what is not necessary. Let’s remember that we are in God’s school every day—He wants us to have experiences with Him. The three verses above from David, Moses, and Paul show that He achieved His goal with them. They rested in the confidence of knowing: God always provides perfectly for me; He knows what is needed.
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