He Provides For The Lilies Of The Field
From The Holy Grind Devotional Series
Today I’m sharing a short bonus devotion in the Holy Grind Devotional Series. This devotion will not be shared on the podcast, so I encourage you to read through it below. Also, I will add it in the book to be published next year (2023)!!
He Provides For The Lilies Of The Field
Focus Verse
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. – Matthew 6:28-29
Devotion
As human beings, we have an innate drive to pursue the resources we think we need to survive. God created us to work, and it is good to earn honest money in order to have food and clothes. Yet, if we’re not careful, we can fall into the temptation of striving for resources by working in our own strength, instead of recognising that all resources belong to our Father in Heaven.
Interestingly, when Jesus’ followers were concerned about provision, Jesus used nature to reveal God’s care over His creation. Jesus taught His followers to trust that their Heavenly Father, who clothes the lilies of the fields, would provide for their needs. When I ponder the fact that the God of the universe looks after the lilies of the field, I can trust that He will take care of me.
In my life, each time I have been through financial problems, God has provided. When my husband, Luís, and I were going out and talking about marrying each other, Luís was unemployed. He didn’t even have money to buy an engagement ring. I recall one particular night, I prayed to God that he would provide Luís with money to buy the ring. The next day, a cousin of his came from Brazil and gave Luís some money – enough to buy a ring! Within a few days, we were engaged and blissfully happy. But there was still a problem: Luís was still unemployed. Yet, he’d stepped out in faith and asked me to marry him. A week after we got engaged, Luís was called to a job interview and after an hour-long conversation, he came back to the car, and told me he’d got the job! God provided for us beyond our imagination.
Resting in God for provision is not apathy or passivity. It’s about being obedient to God in what He wants us to do, and then trusting in Him for that which we can’t control.
Questions for reflection
- Do you have any anxiety regarding finance and resources?
- How can you grow in trusting God?
- How can you teach your children to grow in this area too?
Prayer
Lord, I thank you that you are good. All resources come from You. Help me, Lord to trust in You to provide all I need. Thank you that You have provided for Jesus-followers all over the world, just as I can trust You will provide for me. Please help me, Lord, to know how to work hard and take responsibility while simultaneously being at peace, and trusting in You. Amen.
