God is Our Provider - First15 - August 2

God is Our Provider

Weekly Overview:

There is no better father than Creator God. He formed us and knows us. He provides for us, loves us unconditionally, and longs for real, life-giving relationship with us. He runs out to meet us in our sin, clothes us with new identity, and restores to us the abundant life he has always planned for us. As we spend time looking at the father heart of God, may a fresh revelation of his love for you guide you into greater depths of relationship with your heavenly Father.

Scripture:“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

Devotional: 

In Matthew 6:25-33 Jesus says,

 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Your heavenly Father is the Great Provider for all the earth. He gives rain when the earth needs refreshment. He calls the sun from its hiding when the earth needs warmth. He gives to the animals their food, the flowers their beauty, the birds their shelter, and you and me everything we need.

We worship a God who is both loving and powerful. He is both omnipotent and omnipresent. He is both good and able. If he were not, we would be forced to fend for ourselves, striving for that which he has promised to provide. If he were only good, we would not be assured of the provision his power provides. And if he were only able, we would fear for a lack of his desire to provide. But God is our heavenly Father who both knows what we need and longs to provide for us in exceeding measures. He is our Creator and Sustainer, Lord of all and Lord in all.

So why do you fear for your needs? Why do you stress over the foundational cares of this life while your heavenly Father is seated on his throne? The truth is that until we experience for ourselves both the goodness and power of our heavenly Father, the truth of his provision will only ever feel like a heady, theological principle. Until we experience firsthand the character and provision of our God, fear will remain.

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” God longs to perfect you in his love today. He longs to guide you into an encounter with his goodness and power. He longs to establish a foundation of his faithfulness by which you can live in faith. May you have a transformative encounter with the Holy Spirit today that frees you from fear and striving as you enter into guided prayer.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s promises of provision. Allow Scripture to renew your mind and transform the way you act, think, and feel.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” Matthew 7:7-11

“And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” Matthew 6:25-33

2. Where do you have fear in regards to provision? Where are you striving for what God has already promised to provide? Where does God want to bring peace into your life today?

3. Take time to allow God to reveal his goodness and power. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into an encounter with all that God is. Allow Scripture to speak to your circumstances so that you might live today in line with God’s promises.

No matter how old we get, God will still be our Father. We never have to go through a season apart from his perfect provision. We never have to step outside of his leadership and love. He will always be our Good Shepherd. He will always be our Sustainer. And he will always be our heavenly Father who provides. Never doubt the goodness and power of your God. Rest in his promises. And continue to grow in your knowledge of who he is by resting in his presence. May you experience today the abundant provision of your loving, heavenly Father.

Extended Reading: Matthew 6

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