Trusting God To Provide & Finding Contentment In His Provision

By F. D. Adkins

This week, as I continued my study of Exodus and the grumblings of the Israelites in the wilderness, I began thinking about how, in today’s society, we view ‘more as better’, we always want ‘more’, and we never have ‘enough’. These thoughts took me on a journey back to my childhood to reflect on how things have changed since then.

As a young child, we only had one car that my parents shared. I was probably six or seven years old before my parents were able to have two cars. Our television only had thirteen channels. Eating out was rare, and my mother was not a short-order cook. You ate what was served.

And then I started thinking about the television programs back then that portrayed average families with one car, one television, and children that shared bedrooms because homes were not that big.

Now, it is almost unheard of for a family to have only one car. Houses keep getting bigger. And with the internet, television programming and channels almost seem infinite. And still… are we content… or do we think we need more?  Do we need the latest cell phone technology every year? Do we want a new car even though the one we have is perfectly fine? Do we need a new wardrobe just because the season is changing, and we think last year’s clothes are outdated?

And now, we are facing some challenging times. We want more. But instead, we are paying more and getting less. I experience this every time I go grocery shopping and every time I fill my car with gas.

Okay, let me get back to the book of Exodus. God has rescued the Israelites from a life of slavery in Egypt and has promised to lead them to a land “flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8 KJV). He has parted the waters so they can walk through on dry land and let the sea collapse on the bad guys chasing them. Then, when they stop at Marah, the water is bitter, and the Israelites grumble to Moses. And of course, God provides water. The Israelites grumble about hunger, and God provides food.

And here is where my thought processes began connecting scripture, and I was certain where this week’s blog was headed. So, let me begin in the book of Exodus where God actually lets it rain bread for His children. All they have to do is go out and pick it up. However, they can’t be greedy. They are only to pick up enough for that day (on the sixth day, they were allowed to pick up enough for two days so they could honor the Sabbath). Look at these verses from Exodus, chapter 16.

• “Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day…” Exodus 16:4 KJV
• “This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.” Exodus 16:6
• “And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating.” Exodus 16:8

The Israelites were not to hoard the bread. They weren’t supposed to see who could pick up the most or stuff their mattresses full of bread. God was providing them with their daily bread, and the Israelites were to trust Him that tomorrow He would provide again.

As I read this chapter, I immediately recalled a verse that I had posted on social media a couple of weeks ago, a verse that was written by Paul to the Philippians when he was in prison.

• “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” Philippians 4:11-12

Paul’s joy does not come from his circumstances (After all, he is in prison when he writes this.) He does not find contentment in worldly wealth and having lots of ‘stuff’. His joy… his contentment comes from the Lord.

• “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13 KJV

So, as the Israelites were taught to trust God for their daily needs, and Paul shares the real source of contentment, look at the words Jesus spoke in Matthew Chapter 6.

• “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” Matthew 6:19-20

It’s not about all the stuff we can accumulate in this life. It’s not about how big our house is, how many cars our family has, how many televisions and technological devices we can cram into each room, or how much money we manage to hoard in our savings account. It’s about the work we do for the Lord. It’s about telling people about Him. It’s about giving your brother a coat if you have two. It’s about taking time to say something nice to someone else because it may be the only nice thing they hear today. It’s about having a personal relationship with Jesus and aspiring to be more like Him.

And sometimes it is frightening when we see prices going up and our paychecks not going as far. But Jesus goes on in Matthew, chapter 6 to remind us that we can trust Him with our needs.

• “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” Matthew 6:25-26

However, inasmuch as these verses tell us to trust God with our needs, I want to point out that it does not mean we sit inside on the couch with our feet up and wait for food to be delivered to our doorstep. The Bible also instructs us to work.

• “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” 2 Thessalonians 3:10
• “Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work.” Exodus 20:9 KJV

The Israelites have to go out and physically pick up the manna. The worms do not crawl into the birds’ nests. They have to leave the nest and go forage for the worms.

I leave you with my final takeaway from this study:

• We should trust God with our daily needs.
• He will provide the means for our daily needs to be met. If He hands us a piece of bread, we have to stretch out our hand and accept it.
• While we need to be wise with what God gives us and make sure we are saving enough for future emergencies (ex. like Joseph stored food for the famine), our focus should not be on hoarding worldly stuff that can disappear in the blink of any eye. Our focus should be on our “treasures in Heaven” (Matthew 6:20).

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Matthew 6:21 KJV