Posts Tagged "provision"

“We were counting on Egypt to protect us from Assyria…” Over and over again the the Scriptures, we find this theme of people relying on something other than God, only to have it fail. Most often, that object of reliance is simply another person or group. How easy it is to do this; to see with natural eyes and rely on them, rather than trusting the supernatural call to look to God and rely on Him! How quickly we rush to someone close at hand who seems to have our answer and meet our bees, only to find emptiness on the other side. Remember this, walk in it and find hope: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” -Proverbs...

"Be at peace, O my soul, with the blessings the Lord HAS given you, and do not fret about the ones He hasn't yet..."

Needing answers? Maybe you’re praying the wrong prayer… “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Why are you crying out to me?’” -Exodus 14:15 What strikes me in this account is that God is essentially saying to Moses, “Why are you asking me for something you’ve already been given?  I already provided the ability and opportunity, now WALK in it!” How often do we live in worry and restlessness, asking God for things we already have and being fearful when He seems to not hear our prayers!  If we really believe that in the person and work of Jesus, God has indeed given us “everything we need for life and godliness” (1 Peter 1:3, NIV) perhaps we should more often pray this way… “Father, thank you...

In times of trouble, take heart.  It may be that the reason you are faced with great opposition is that God is gearing up for a great deliverance on the other side! In the midst of this, be careful to not assume that God’s primary goal is your happiness.  His primary goal is His glory, and we find true joy when we realize and rest in that. …I will harden Pharoah’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharoah and his whole army…” -Exodus 14:4 (NLT) The cool thing is, when we have God’s glory as our goal, it frees us up to receive His deliverance in many creative ways.  This leads us to… “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you...

Jesus fed the multitude by having His disciples pass out the food. Don’t miss this.  If you know the story in Matthew 14 (also in Mark 6, Luke 9 and John 6) you probably know it as the story of how “Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand”.  Think about this, though. Yes, Jesus took the food and blessed it, yes, Jesus caused the miraculous multiplication, but who was it that actually brought the food to the people who needed it?  Who actually did the feeding part? It was the disciples. Now, don’t get lost here or distracted from the point.  The point is not to in any way take away the miraculous nature of the event, or “steal the spotlight” from Jesus because yes, HE is the one from whom the food came.  The point I hope you’ll...