Everything We Need

God has promised to give us everything we need! We, as parents, will do whatever it takes to make sure that every need is met that our children have (needs not wants). Yet as much as we know this in our heads I find in day to day conversations, it is evident that this vital information has not made it to our hearts. There is a very quick test you can do to see where you are at with this - Did you worry about anything today?

More times than not, the answer can be yes - but it doesn't have to be. Jesus told us, in Matthew 11:29, that, "(His) yoke is easy and (His) burden in light." And that as we come to Him, He can take those things from us. Sounds easy but it requires faith and action from us. It means we need to truly understand what God has promised, so that we can trust Him to do what He has said He will do.

I love the verses in Matthew 7 that lay this out so plainly - as a parent I believe this strikes the heart of glimpsing the Father's love for us. "Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him." As a mom, I can read that and confidently know that if one of our children were truly in need of food, of course I would want to give them something good. Therefore I need to be resting in my Heavenly Father, that even more so when I have a need, He will provide what is required.

I have noticed an interesting trend with our younger children that seems to fade away as they approach the teen years - every once in a while they think that they are not going to get fed. Have you ever noticed that in your home? Sometimes it sounds like, "I am soooo hungry. Are you going to make lunch today?" or "If I don't eat soon I think I might die, what if you don't remember to make supper?" The part I find fascinating is that since beginning parenting almost 13 years ago, I have NEVER, not once, forgotten to feed one of my children. That means I have been consistent (or faithful, if you will) for over 14,000 meals - wow! Now for my children that may doubt a meal is coming, their experience level may land somewhere around 8,000 meals but you would still think that would translate into rest and belief that they will be fed ~ but it doesn't always. When they start to "feel" the hunger and the don't "see" the promise of food before their eyes, they start to worry...have we not done the same thing with our Heavenly Father?

When we know that God has faithfully met our needs in the past, continues to provide for the needs of today, why would we worry that He will "forget" tomorrow's? Because we are like the younger children who are still growing in trusting our Heavenly Father to provide EVERYTHING WE NEED.

So try something new - take a verse like Philippians 4:19 that says, "My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus", or the verse above from Matthew 7, or any other one like it that speaks of God's promise for your provision, and write it out and stick it in a prominent place. The next time that you feel worry start to come to you, go to those verses (which are the living, active Word of God) and speak them out loud. Take them to your situation and say out loud, "My God has promised to meet all my needs according to His riches", or "How much more will my Father in Heaven give me good gifts because I am asking Him." The darkness cannot stay where there is light and worry cannot linger where there is trust in our Heavenly Father.

Do not let fear or worry reign when God wants to give you everything you need!