DO YOU TRUST ME TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR FINANCIAL NEEDS?

Philippians 4:19

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

God Is Able

Many people are in financial binds today, and part of the reason may be that they give absolutely nothing to God. When a couple once came to me in financial trouble, I asked them how much they were giving to the church or to other ministries. They said they couldn’t afford to give anything right now and haven’t been able to for years. So they say that they can’t afford to give anything to the church, and I thought maybe that’s the trouble. They can’t afford to not give, at least a widow’s mite. If they could give only a small amount, that’s fine, but by not giving anything, it’s like they don’t trust God to take care of their financial needs, so they don’t give anything. I told them that God is able to abundantly supply every need of theirs (2 Cor 9:8), but they must trust Him. Remember the widow’s mite, or really her two copper coins? She gave more than the rich, who gave more by sheer numbers, but she gave all that she had (Mark 12:41-44). I’m not suggesting giving all you have, and my point is not to get you to tithe or make you feel guilty by not giving but to trust God, Who is more than able to supply every need, if only you would trust Him.

We Say Yes, But Worry Says No

We might say, yes, we trust God, but if we worry about our financial security, do we really trust Him? Remember that He holds the future (Isaiah 42:9). Worry is the opposite of trust, isn’t it? Worry says I don’t; trust says I don’t worry. We can say we trust God for our salvation (John 3:16) and in our trials (Rom 8:28), but when we worry about our financial future, we really tell God that we trust Him for most of what we read in the Bible but not all of it. The only place in the Bible where God actually gives us permission to test Him is with our money (Mal 3:10-11), a test that Israel failed and caused Him to say they had robbed God (Mal 3:7-9). Go outside or look out the window as soon as you finish reading this. Do you see any birds? Guess what? God takes care of them even though they never reap, sow, or store away food, and we are most certainly more valuable than they are (Matt 6:26). You trust John 3:16 with your eternal future, right? Why can’t you trust Matthew 6:26 or Philippians 4:19?

Look To His Creatures

I’ve seen lots of humans do this, and God takes much more special care in His love for them than for His creatures. God takes care of the ravens, the cattle, the sparrows (Psalm 147:9), and every other creature He has created (Psalm 104:27), including every creature in the sea, badgers, goats, trees, and plants (Psalm 104:18-28). So we need to trust Him to take care of those of us who are His own children. As a father, I would never let my own children go hungry, but how much more does God have than I do! He promises to never let the righteous beg for bread (Psalm 37:25) or His children suffer from famish (Prov 10:3). So turn your worries over to the God Who owns more than the cattle on a thousand hills and every beast of the field (Psalm 50:10); He also owns the hills!

A Closing Prayer

God our Father, please help me to trust You more than I trust what I see with my eyes, for You see the future and I see only the present. So please forgive me for the times I lack trust in You, and in Jesus’ name I pray.

Amen