God provides – What does this mean?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible consistently presents God as a faithful provider, both physically and spiritually. In Genesis 22, Abraham names God “Jehovah-Jireh” after the LORD provides a ram in place of Isaac (v. 14). This idea of God providing is reinforced later when He supplies manna and quail for Israel for forty years in the wilderness (Exodus 16). He also sustained the widow at Zarephath during a famine by making it so her jars of flour and oil never reached an end until the famine ended (1 Kings 17:8-16). Through these and many other stories, the Bible provides us with a biblical theme of God watching over His people and providing for them.

In the New Testament, Jesus taught that the Father knows our needs and provides for them, calling us to seek His kingdom first (Matthew 6:31-33). Most significantly, God provides eternal life through His Son, the true Bread of Life (John 6:35). Paul affirms this in Romans 8:32, saying that if God gave up His Son for us that He will surely meet our lesser needs as well. James reminds us that every good gift comes from God (James 1:17), and Hebrews 4:16 invites us to draw near for grace in time of need. God’s provision is comprehensive, purposeful, and perfectly timed.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Abraham called God Jehoveh-Jireh—”YHWH provides”--after God tested him by telling him to sacrifice his son, Isaac (Genesis 22:2). As the two were traveling to the altar, Isaac didn’t see a lamb, so he asked his father what they were going to sacrifice. Abraham replied, “God will provide (jireh) for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8). Though Abraham did not know how things would work out, he was expressing a deep trust in the God who had always kept His word.
• Mere months after being rescued from Egypt, the Israelites were out of food and in the middle of the wilderness. God, seeing their plight, told Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you” (Exodus 16:4a). God saw their need for food, and He provided “mana” for forty years (Exodus 16:35). In other words, from their escape until they reached a land where food could grow, God continuously and miraculously sustained them with His provisions.
• In another example, God saw a window’s struggle during a harsh drought. He sent His prophet Elijah who asked her for some food. When she told him that she had just a little flour in a jar and a little oil, Elijah, speaking for God, assured her, “The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth” (1 Kings 17:14). God miraculously provided for her by replenishing her flour and oil every day.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Jesus told His followers “do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? … for your heavenly Father knows that you need them all” (Matthew 6:31–32b). Rather than placing our focus on meeting our needs, we are to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
• While God sees our physical needs, His priority is satisfying our eternal needs. Jesus, answering a question about the bread God provided the Israelites, declared, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst” (John 6:35). Jesus was saying that God’s provision extends far beyond simply giving food; He provides eternal life through His Son.
• Paul, encouraging believers, said, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). God’s ultimate provision is Christ. But that great provision brings us into a special relationship with Him. While there is a sense in which God provides everyone in the world with blessings, such as food and rain (Matthew 5:45; Acts 14:17), God particularly provides what His children need.
• In Philippians 4:19, Paul assured believers, “my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Paul was confident that God would supply the needs of those in Philippi so that they could continue to participate in gospel work.
• James reminds us, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17a). God is the good giver (c.f., Matthew 7:7-11). James asserts that everything good is “coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17b). God’s goodness does not ebb and flow. Instead, He is consistently providing good to those who love Him.
• However, believers must trust God regardless of what He gives us. Paul warned, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). Our trust should not be in what we get (or don’t get) but in the God who provides exactly what we need. Believers “are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” (1 Timothy 6:18). God provides without restraint, and He calls on believers to be providers as well when they have the means to do so.
• Rather than wealth, believers most need grace to continue living in this difficult world. That is why the author of Hebrews said, “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). While God provides, His desire is for us to rely on Him, not material goods.

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

God sees every need and provides what is good. That is why Abraham named the mountain, known today as Mount Moriah, “Jehovah-Jireh” as a reminder of God’s great provision. While Abraham did not know the details at the time, God’s provision of a sacrifice to him was a picture of God’s ultimate provision: Jesus, a sacrifice for sinners.

This is God’s primary and best provision because, without it, sinners stand eternally condemned. The nice things we have or achieve in this life do not matter if we face an eternity of torment. Jesus is God’s provision of escape from that destiny. By His perfect life and death, instead of God killing us for our sin, He killed His Son. Those who repent of their sin and believe in Him receive that great provision of eternal life.

Once saved, God is pleased to continue to provide for believers. That doesn’t mean that believers are never hungry or sad or have pain. Instead, it means that we can trust our good Father that He gives us exactly what we need to get through this life while also growing spiritually. Paul, a great example, learned to be content whether he had little or much (Philippians 4:12). Likewise, we are to be content with what we have. Sometimes God provides greatly, but, more often than not, His provision is subtle. It is the provision of having money to buy food for the day or friends to encourage us or even hardship to protect us from becoming conceited (2 Corinthians 12:7). In all cases, God is a good God who provides exactly what He knows is best in our life at any given moment.

UNDERSTAND

• God provides for the needs of His children.
• The most significant way that God has provided for us is spiritually, through His Son’s atoning death for our sin.
• God providing for us does not mean that we won’t face hardship, but it means that God will work everything for our good.

REFLECT

• What are some ways God has provided for you, specifically?
• What spiritual growth has God provided for you during hard times?
• How do you ensure that you’re putting God’s kingdom first in your life?

ENGAGE

• How can Christians best communicate that God provides while distinguishing it from harmful Word-of-Faith or materialistic-centered doctrines?
• How can we incorporate the truth of God’s provision into the way we share the gospel with unbelievers?
• In what ways does understanding God as a faithful provider deepen our trust and reliance on Him?