Recently Brad took a trip of solitude.  It is something that he has wanted to do for quite some time.  I was all for it.  It would provide a time for him to truly unplug and quiet his mind.  He is an extremely hard-working man who pours himself wholly into everything he does.

While he was gathering all of his supplies for his two-night camping trip along the Mississippi River, I asked about food.  He looked at me and pretty much laughed.

“Food?” he asked, “I’m going to catch my food!”

Now, although I’ve seen this man’s fishing skills and have been impressed numerous times, my stomach gave a sympathetic growl.  Fishing for fun was one thing; fishing for food was quite another.

(I did feel a little better after reaching for the vitamins the morning he left and finding them missing.  When I asked if he knew where they were, he assured me, if nothing else, he would have a few gummies for sustenance…)

Although we were on radio silence for the majority of his trip, he did send a few pictures of his dinner the second night away – seven fillets of walleye frying on the cast iron skillet over the fire.

He went on to list the various fish he had been eating during his trip and ended the text with,

“God Provides.”

Those two words have resonated in my head for three days.

God Provides. 

God Provides…everything

I looked up different instances in the Bible where God provides for His people.  Of course, there were many.  But the ones that seemed to fit Brad’s trip were in Jesus’ teachings about worry.

So, don’t worry at all about having enough food and clothing.  Why be like the heathen? For they take pride in all these things and are deeply concerned about them.  But your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well that you need them, and he will give them to you if you give him first place in your life and live as he wants you to.                   Matthew 6:31-33 (LAB)

God Provides.

Look at the ravens – they don’t plant or harvest or have barns to store away their food, and yet they get along all right – for God feeds them.  And you are more valuable to him than any birds!                           Luke 12:24

And, it’s not just for our physical needs.  It’s for things we don’t even know about yet…

Now glory be to God who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of – infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes.          Ephesians 3:20

But, we have to ask

Of course, God will provide what we need.  He is our Father.  That is part of His job description.  But, we have a responsibility, too.  We have to ask.

While God knows all of our wants and needs – even before we do – we still need to ask Him.

I used to think that was so redundant.  Why would I need to ask for what He already knows I need?? It just seemed like an extra step – especially when whatever it was I wanted, I felt I needed it right away… If He knew it, and was going to provide it, why wouldn’t He just give it to me?

James 4:1-2 (and many other verses) tell us we must ask.  How can we expect help and answers if we don’t ask? Just because God knows what we need doesn’t mean we have figured it out yet.  And, if our focus is wrong, we will definitely not be asking for what we really need or what we should have.

What if He just provided everything we needed without us even feeling a twinge of want, or desire, or need? Or even pain? We would be no different than the birds flitting from place to place in complete ignorance.  We have been made in God’s image.  He made us exactly as He wanted.  He wants us to be more self-aware and He wants us to ask.

Because, when we ask, we know from where the answer comes.

It’s definitely not by my hands.  It’s all from God.

Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you.  For every one that asks receives; and he that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened.                               Matthew 7:78

So, what do we ask for?

Again, I need to work on my asking.  I do have faith and truly believe it will all work out according to His plan, but sometimes I just assume He will get it done and I don’t ask for His help.

But, just asking for and believing it will get done doesn’t make it so.  In James, he said, “and even when you do ask you don’t get it because your whole aim is wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure.” (James 4:3 LAB)

That tells me, it’s even more than asking, and it’s more than faith.  We need to be in alignment with God’s plan first.

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.                                                                                                                                                                 Matthew 6:33

Really, in the end, the process is fairly simple:

1. We have a need that is in alignment with God’s plan
2. We ask Him for help
3. God provides.

So, I will keep on working on my parts.  I will continue to seek the Kingdom of God first and ask Him for help as I follow the path He’s laid out for me.

This is the confidence we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us: and if we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we know, that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.          1 John 5:14-15

Your thoughts?

How has God provided for you in your life? What verses have you clung to that shows His promise to always take care of you?  I would love to hear your thoughts.  Can’t wait to hear from you all!