God’s provision

the Provider

Posted on by Grace Day

Remember the story of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens? In it Mr. Scrooge is called “the founder of the feast” by Bob Cratchit. This sentiment is a bit sarcastic given that Mr. Scrooge lived up to his name – he wasn’t really a very generous provider at all. (well, until the end when he had a change of heart) Which begs the question for me and perhaps for you too, dear readers – who is my provider? Do I look to myself? Do I look to others? Do I count on the government to meet my needs?

Circumstances are always subject to change as this world is filled with uncertainty. Must be why the saying “Nothing is certain but death and taxes” is still with us and still relevant. Who will provide our human needs has always been a central question for us from the beginning of our existence. God was the first Provider. He created Adam and Eve and placed them in a beautiful garden that He had created. God provided all their needs until they became discontent, chose their own way and were put out of the garden. Even then, it was God who provided them clothing before they left their home.

“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” (Genesis 3:21)

God has a history of providing for us, especially at those times when we are unable to provide for ourselves that which we most need. Consider Abraham and his trip up the mountain with his son, Isaac. They were on their way to make a sacrifice to God BUT – something essential was missing – the actual sacrifice itself. Still Abraham kept on going up the mountain in faith.

“Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. . . . Isaac said, ‘but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Abraham answered, ‘God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together.” (Genesis 22:6-8)

Now God had told Abraham to take Isaac up the mountain and to sacrifice him there. BUT – at the last moment, God called to Abraham to stop, saying –

” ‘Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ He said. ‘Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from Me your son, your only son.’ Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.’ ” (Genesis 22:12-14)

God was Abraham’s Provider then. He was the Israelites’ Provider for forty years. While the Israelites were wandering in the desert, God provided them with manna new every morning to sustain them on their journey to the Promised Land. God is my Provider now, today and every day. He is yours too. We have this reminder from Paul in his letter to the church at Philippi –

“And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

I don’t need to waste time worrying or to be filled with fear. My Heavenly Father is more than able to take care of me. In fact, Paul wrote these words in his letter to the church at Corinth –

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:8)

Now that is a very reassuring promise. God doesn’t want me or you either, to spend our days consumed with anxiety, worry, fear and stress. Jesus spoke very clearly about this, saying to those He was teaching –

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? . . . Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? . . . So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-34)

Those last words I have no trouble believing and I bet you don’t either. Each day seems to contain some measure of trouble, challenge, hardship, suffering, pain or loss. Some days just have more than others. BUT – even in the worst of circumstances, God shows up as my Provider. His promise is the same for you, too. King David experienced the worst of times and yet during those dangerous and difficult times He wrote these words –

“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. . . . Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:1 & 4-5)

Even in the most dire of circumstances, “the valley of the shadow of death” and “in the presence of his enemies” – King David experienced God’s not just sufficient, but abundant provision. David acknowledged that his “cup overflowed.”

And if I’m honest, I must admit that mine does too. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17) I am the recipient of so many of God’s “good and perfect gifts” everyday that it is impossible not to be filled with gratitude for such undeserved favor.

My Heavenly Father’s most wonderful gifts aren’t even material ones. He gives me His comfort, His peace, His mercy, His hope, His healing, His protection – the list is endless, as is my Heavenly Father’s provision for me.

My God is many things. My God is all things to me. He is my Creator, Sustainer, Savior, Rescuer, Redeemer, Restorer, Lord, King, Defender, Healer, Protector – the One who has my name engraved on His palms, the One who rejoices over me with singing – the One who knows the way that I take – the One who provides for me “immeasurably more than all I ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within me” (Ephesians 3:20) – my Heavenly Father – the Provider of all that I will ever need.

“His divine power has given us (me and you) everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)

sincerely, Grace Day

a walk on the wild side

Posted on by Grace Day

I take them often – wild side walks that is. These walks that I’ve been taking give new meaning to the term “concrete jungle.” because these walks aren’t exactly nature walks. Instead of being surrounded by scenic views and bird calls as I walk, I am surrounded by the sounds of traffic, cars backfiring, sirens wailing, horns honking, in addition to the sounds of heavy machinery on the ground and helicopters overhead. No, I am not walking through a war zone, well not technically or literally anyway. I am simply walking during my break around the inner-city high school where I work.

This high school is located on a very busy main street close to the interstate, which explains the constant high volume of traffic surrounding the school. It is close to downtown and a few blocks from the medical center, which accounts for the helicopters landing at the heliport on one of the hospitals there. (or maybe they are traffic helicopters? I can’t tell the difference) The old football stadium has been torn down and a brand new one is being constructed in its place, which is why all the bulldozers and other such big machinery have been operating during my daily walks. Only a chain link fence separates me and the other pedestrians from the noise and activity of all the large earth moving trucks and other heavy machinery operating there every day.

So it is a different kind of a jungle that I walk in every day. I don’t have to watch out for dangerous wild animals, just dangerous traffic. I don’t hear bird calls, I hear sirens growing louder, closer, then fading into the distance. I don’t walk on a dirt path, but on a concrete sidewalk. After all, I am in a concrete jungle. Maybe this concrete jungle is actually more dangerous than any African jungle or Amazon jungle? Actually, both jungles are full of pitfalls and perils. These may be different, but they are equally real and equally challenging.

Ironic isn’t it? I choose to walk on my break in order to focus and find a few moments of peaceful tranquility before I return to the noise and chaos of the classroom, and instead I find myself walking through the noise and chaos of the concrete jungle I have just described to you. Gives new meaning to the expression – “it’s a jungle out there” for sure. It would appear that no matter where I walk, I will face challenges. Whether the possibility of poisonous snakes and prowling lions in the real jungle, or the dangers of fast moving traffic and heavy machinery in the concrete jungle – life is certainly no walk in the park.

The apostle Peter apparently figured this out centuries ago, because he wrote to believers saying, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

It seems to me that no matter where I walk, I will encounter some degree of difficulty and danger. Some environments are more dangerous than others. Some roads are just harder to walk than others. For me what matters most is not where I am walking, whether that be a peaceful path or an impossibly steep and slippery slope, but who is walking with me. This makes all the difference in my journey and in its outcome.

Case in point – Daniel’s three friends. Talk about your walk on the wild side. I don’t think “furnace walking” is a thing (unlike glacier walking or creek walking) but Daniel’s three friends were forced to do this by an angry king wanting to prove a point. Now a furnace is not an ideal environment for a walk (so much for the where) BUT the who joining them on this walk made all the difference in the outcome of their walk on the wild side. We join the story in progress –

“So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace. The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the flames of the fire killed the soldiers who took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and these three men, firmly tied, fell into the blazing furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar leaped to his feet in amazement and asked his advisers, ‘Weren’t there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?’ They replied, ‘Certainly, O king.’ He said, ‘Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.’ ” (Daniel 3:21-25)

These three men weren’t alone in the furnace. God was right there with them, which accounted for the fact that they were no longer bound up but now walking around freely, unharmed. Our story continues –

“So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire, . . . the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.” (Daniel 3:26-27)

For these three, their walk on the wild side did not end in disaster because of Who walked with them, which mattered much more than where they found themselves walking. I’m sure those three friends of Daniel never planned on having to walk through a furnace. Not a lot you can do to prepare for something like that. Even as I write these words I know too many dear people, friends and family, who are walking through something right now that none of us would choose because the path is painful and scary and hard.

These wheres none of us would choose. BUT – we can choose the who – who walks with us. And that makes all the difference. King David made a choice. He boldly declared –

“The Lord is my shepherd,” (Psalm 23:1)

The result of his choice of shepherd? “I shall not be in want.”

King David had to walk in some hard places. He said this –

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:4-5)

The valley of the shadow of death has to be one of the most dangerous, difficult places to walk if not the most treacherous of all. But David said he wasn’t afraid because of God’s presence walking with him, bringing him comfort. And not only that, David said God’s provision for him was abundant and overflowing while he was still walking in the valley. My Heavenly Father does the same for me every day no matter where I find myself walking. His presence goes with me, giving me comfort, protection and provision – even when, like King David, I am walking through “the valley of the shadow of death.”

I pray this knowledge for all my friends, family and for you dear readers – the knowledge of God’s everpresent presence abiding with you and with me, with each one of us, supplying all our needs even when we find ourselves walking in dark valleys. God is there. We have His promise on that. King David knew this. Must be why he wrote these words about God-

“You hem me in – behind and before; you have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.” (Psalm 139:5-10)

How wonderful, how reassuring – to know that God is always present with me no matter where I go, no matter where I am walking, be it a concrete jungle or a dry desert. God is there. I will not be afraid. I will walk with confidence and purpose because Jesus promised –

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

sincerely, Grace Day