God’s Promise to Provide All of Our Needs – Part 2
Last time, we looked at how the Apostle Paul endured much adversity and suffering, and yet through all of that, he saw the grace of God provide for his every need. For Paul, whether he had an abundance or very little, God’s grace provision was always sufficient. God provided what Paul needed to accomplish His plan for his life.
When we speak of needs, we most often think of physical needs. We discussed those last time. But what about spiritual needs?
Here is a sampling of spiritual needs for which God has already provided:- A Bible in our own language.
- The spiritual gift of pastor-teacher.
- A place to assemble for the teaching of God’s Word.
- The human spirit and the filling of the Holy Spirit, who teaches our human spirit.
- Training so we can be effective with our spiritual gift.
- Open doors that direct us in accomplishing God’s will for our lives.
These spiritual needs are part of God’s perfect plan. Our volition determines whether we accept and benefit from them. If we are not interested in Bible teaching or refuse to listen to Bible doctrine, we stay under the control of our sin nature. The spiritual needs are there but not provided because we reject them. Every single spiritual need will be met, but we must have the positive volition to accept them. They are all part of God’s grace provision. But our volition is involved. God is not going to force them upon us.
Let’s take the spiritual need of a pastor-teacher for example. Today, many Christians reject the idea of a pastor-teacher. Instead, they prefer to read the Bible on their own or pick up a Christian self-help book and glean what they can from it. Every believer needs to learn God’s Word from a communicator of the Word. That is the job of the pastor-teacher. A pastor-teacher teaches us what the Bible says, what it means, and how it can be used in our life.
Philippians 4:19
“And my God will supply all your needs…” That is a promise from God to us personally.
QUESTION: What is the basis for that statement? What is it about God that guarantees that promise?
ANSWER: God’s immutability, omniscience, and omnipotence.
We have studied the Essence of God. Why those three characteristics?
- Immutability means that God never changes. His promise remains true for all time.
- Omniscience means God knows everything. He knows every need; nothing escapes his knowledge.
- Omnipotence means God is all powerful; He is able to provide for all our needs. No need is too great or too difficult for Him to provide.
What is required on our part to ensure God does supply our needs? What do we have to do? Nothing. Why? God’s grace provides it all. His grace is always freely given and undeserved. We don't have to do anything to earn God’s provision of all our needs. Right now, God is supplying the needs of the worst believer alive in the world today. And He is supplying the needs of the best believer alive.
So again, God’s grace is unconditional in fulfilling all our needs. Everything we need to fulfill His plan will be provided. And if you look back in your life, you can probably already see that. God’s grace has brought you every step from where you were to where you are now. Every single step of the way was provided by Him.
God’s grace is always freely given and undeserved, and it will absolutely provide ALL that you and I need to accomplish His plan for our lives. He must do that. He will do this because He has promised to provide what we need to accomplish His plan for our lives. He will remain faithful to that promise until we breathe our last and are face-to-face with Him.
You might be reading this thinking, “But I know something I need that I do not have.” That thought can create doubt about God in your soul. But please do not doubt God. He is not God if He does not keep His Word. Philippians 4:19 is a promise. God must keep His promise. He must provide all our needs.
So, what if there is a need that in your mind is not fulfilled. We must remember that our legitimate desires do not always fit God’s plan for us at that time. God’s timing is perfect. We may think we need something now. But God is omniscient. He knows everything, including all our desires and wants. He loves us dearly and wants to give to us. But He can only give us what His perfect plan calls for us to have. If there are things that you want that you do not have, just make them a matter of prayer and then wait on God’s timing.
The bottom line is this: If there is something we want but do not have, we can trust God's perfect plan and timing. He knows what we need to accomplish His purpose for our lives.
Don't think that God simply gives us everything we want. He provides what He knows we need to accomplish His plan for our lives, not our own plans.