Series: Flowers in the Desert
Philippians 4:19 ESV
Philippians 4:19-20 MSG
For those of us who have never been a person “of means” today’s scripture offers very good news!
If we do not own property, we’ll be fine.
When looking forward to the future, it’s all covered.
That’s because in Philippians 4:19 we are told, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
The only problem we face is that our reliance solely on God is very counter-cultural in today’s world.
I have personally been told many times by many different people that “God helps those who help themselves.”
When I was young I would quote Philippians 4:19.
Most of the time they said it doesn’t literally mean that we can expect to do nothing…we have to do our part and carry our load.
Understand I was not and am not saying that we can refuse to do nothing and expect God to care for us anyway. I’ve always been willing to work. In ministry for over 30 years, we moved several times. When we arrived at a new town and unpacked, I would start looking for a job. I was always able to find work and it was good work, but it didn’t pay a lot.
Every time we moved I had to start over again at the bottom.
Once when I went to work for a newspaper I was hired to create and set advertisements two days a week. It was in 1985 so computers were just becoming available.
Within a few weeks the publisher found out I knew how to write and had worked on my high school newspaper staff.
He brought me a story idea and told me to research and write it. The article was published in the newspaper.
The next week it was 2 stories.
That grew quickly and soon I was writing the front page.Then, he brought the camera to me and told me to take pictures. Eventually I was editor.
Because I wasn’t picky about what kind of work I’ve done many many different jobs, so when I was told scripture doesn’t really literally mean God will supply needs if we are willing to work, I still argued that it does mean God will supply our needs. God sent those jobs to me.
That need may be a job (as it was in my case) but if someone can’t work a job, I know God will still supply their need.
If medical bills are overwhelming, God will supply the need.
If it’s transportation, God will supply the need. Just like God supplies what flowers and plants in the desert need, God will supply what we need. Today’s creative plant is the Frizzle Sizzle (known as the Albuca Spirilis Cacti native to South Africa). God supplies the need.
Once I took a job taking telephone calls for a very large mortgage company. I thought I’d work there a few months until I could find a job using my creative skills.
Down the road a piece I found myself working in their executive office.
Nearly twenty years later, I retired from that job.
That certainly wasn’t what I expected, but God knew what was best.
In the Message Version, Philippians 4:19-20 says, “You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus. Our God and Father abounds in glory that just pours out into eternity. Yes.”
We must also always bear in mind that God knows what is best for us in every part of life. God may send us a friend when we need a friend.
God may send us to church home that we did not expect.
God may even send us a specific pet if that is what we need.
I’ve had many many cars that God brought to me and each one has been a blessing. I made payments on the car, and God helped me when I had a repair bill, but God has never let me down. A few times the car God supplied was laughable, but it ran and it go me to where I needed to go.
One final note, for several years I wanted to have my own website so I could write about God’s faithfulness.
I tried and tried to get a website set up but I kept running into one problem or another. I knew I could do the writing (with God’s help) but I absolutely did not know how to do the illustrations. Even though I‘d been a paid photographer at two of my jobs, I hadn’t done art since junior high school (and that was a very long time ago).
God responded in miraculous ways and sent someone to help me get the website set up.
Their help was a huge blessing and I am grateful every day!
As far as the art goes, I was using an art program and fumbling around when I got started. Then I heard of another art program and I was blessed to access it but I could not figure out how to use it.
About that time I visited one of my kids and my 11 year old granddaughter sat with me and taught me how to use the program. She hadn’t really used that program a lot, but within a few minutes she had me up and running.
That was several years ago. What I’ve discovered since then is that I absolutely love doing the art for the website. I am still learning, and I have a long way to go but I love doing it!
It was just one more of how God provides for us.
The bottom line is that there are no limits to what God will do for us or how God can help us (or get us help.)
We simply need to ask and wait for God to open the door.
Spiritual Practice: What?
What do you need? Ask God and wait. Listen and wait!
In God, Deborah
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