The Proven Promise of God’s Provision
In an ever-changing world, various concerns surrounding our finances constantly challenge us. War in the Middle East destabilizes supply chains. Government policies consistently rock the global economies. As all this occurs, the stock market consistently reforms its securities valuation to reflect the latest version of reality.
Understandably, the turmoil in the economy, which tosses and turns daily, can cause many people to become concerned about a variety of issues. How can I afford food and utilities? Will I have enough to retire someday? Will my current job be enough to provide for myself and my family in the future?
As a result, it is no wonder that, according to a survey conducted by Capital One and The Decision Lab, 77% of Americans feel anxious about their financial situation. Surprisingly, we cannot find the solution to this anxiety in good investments, a stable job, or even positions of power. We can only find the answer in how God cares for and understands our various financial struggles and difficulties.
The LORD Will Provide
In Genesis 22, the Bible tells us an odd story that seems somewhat offensive to our modern sensibilities. God calls to His servant, Abraham, and asks Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a burnt offering. Scripture tells us that Abraham cared deeply for Isaac, so surely he would not be willing to sacrifice his beloved son, right? Incredibly, Abraham listens to God and brings Isaac up as a sacrifice to the LORD. However, before Abraham could complete the act, an angel of the LORD called and told Abraham not to sacrifice the boy. Instead, God provided a ram for the sacrifice.
What does this story have to do with our finances? Well, that detail comes in what Abraham does next. After sacrificing the ram, Abraham names the place “The LORD will provide.” In our financial lives, we must remember this simple fact: God will provide. Later in the Bible, we learn about the Israelites, who are descendants of Abraham. After being enslaved in Egypt for generations, God led them out.
However, once they escape their captors, they enter a desert with seemingly few resources to survive. The people began to complain to Moses, whom God chose to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. According to the account in Exodus 16, they say, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” Moses takes the people’s complaints to God, and God provides them with bread from heaven, ensuring their needs are met despite their lack of faith.
George Müller’s Faith
Critically, God’s provision applies to us today, not just to the people of Israel thousands of years ago. We may not receive bread from heaven, but God still provides all the same. One example of this is in the life of a man named George Müller. After a troubled childhood and early adulthood filled with lying, cheating, and stealing, George committed his life to God. In March of 1829, George learned about a man named Mr. Groves. A successful dentist, Mr. Groves received substantial compensation for his work. One day, he decided to leave his successful career to become a missionary, leaving all his wealth behind and relying solely on God to meet his needs.
Inspired by the faith of Mr. Groves, George resolved to strive for that kind of confidence in God’s provision. When he became a minister a year later, George refused to demand offerings for himself or even to ask his congregation to help meet his needs. If his people felt compelled to donate to him, a small box sat in the back of the sanctuary. One day, George and his family were near the end of their resources. George knew that a man in his congregation had recently taken the donations out of the box and had yet to give them to George. Instead of demanding the money directly, George prayed and asked God to provide it. Soon enough, the man brought the money to George.
Later, George’s ministry expanded into a series of orphanages. Never asking for a single penny, George prayed daily that the Lord would provide. Year after year, God never neglected the orphanages. Sometimes, they would just have enough for the day, lacking the resources to support the ministry tomorrow. After careful prayer, God always provided.
We all experience financial concerns, but few of us have had the weight of knowing we had to provide for, at later points in George’s life, thousands of children as well as our own families. Yet therein lies the key George Müller understood so well: we are not the providers. God is the only one who provides.
Faith & Finance Perspective
Throughout history, from Abraham to Moses to George Müller and beyond, God always provides for those who love Him. When we face financial uncertainty, God calls us to look to him. Importantly, this does not mean that He will grant every vain desire we might have or even that He will give us what we think we need exactly when we want it. However, we will never be neglected in His perfect timing and care.
“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” – Matthew 6:26
How much more will the God who feeds and clothes every finch and sparrow care for us, His people created in His image? If you place your hope in Christ, you need not be counted among the 77% who remain anxious about their financial state. Instead, put your faith in the God who has a flawless track record in providing for those who place their trust in His unchanging character and His unbreakable promises.