Over the years, Adam and I have experienced God’s unique, miraculous, and abundant provision. We have received checks in the mail when we needed to pay a bill, unanticipated provision to replace appliances, surprise scholarships that helped pay for our education, and we have experienced the generosity of our community at just the right time to meet our needs. Story after story, we have lived God’s abundant provision. And with each story, our faith and trust in God has grown. He has always been faithful. His generosity has always been mind-blowing.
The other day, I was reading a devotional where the author was discussing abundance versus scarcity, using the difference between Pharaoh and the Hebrews in Exodus. He observed that Pharaoh felt fearful, even threatened, because of the blessings the Lord poured out on the Hebrews. This led to violence and persecution as he tried to crush this threat. The Hebrews, on the other hand, always had everything they needed. They saw the Lord’s provision time and time again. From the devotional: “Assured of God’s provision, they were called to put aside vengeance and greed and instead seek justice, love, kindness, and walk humbly with their God.” (See Micah 6:8)
I have never heard the connection between loving others and God’s provision. Recently, the Lord has been speaking to us about truly loving his children. Through this process, I have been acutely aware of how selfish I can be. I want to love others, but I often do not want to sacrifice my time or emotions or comfort. What this little devotional spoke to me was that I can be assured of the Lord’s abundant provision as I love others, just as I am assured of his physical provision. I can trust that as I reach out, as I seek to love others, as I put myself out on the line, that he will be there with me. I will always have what I need.
“If we live in constant fear of not having enough—like Pharaoh did—it will lead us to greed and injustice in the name of self-preservation. If, however, we believe Jesus and trust that with God there is always abundance, then we can be set free from a self-centered posture and be empowered to truly love others.”
All quotes are from What If Jesus Was Serious? by Skye Jethani, pages 116-117.