The Provider
Lou Tiscione, Pastor, Weatherford Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Not a day passes in which I fail to experience the providence of God in my life. If you were to sit in your “quiet place”, I’m sure that with any thought at all, you would come to the same recognition as myself.
Matthew recorded the Savior’s words in Matthew 6:25-34 concerning Jesus’ exhortation to disciples not to be anxious about anything. The reason that citizens of the Kingdom need not worry about the stuff of life is because our “heavenly Father knows” everything that we need (Matthew 6:32).
Jesus, the Incarnate Word, quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 during His great trial with Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4:4). When Satan tempted Jesus to “command these stones to become loaves of bread,” Jesus responded by saying, “Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Moses, speaking for God, told the people who grumbled in the wilderness, “And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.”
Satan tempted Jesus by calling attention to His physical needs. After Jesus fasted for 40 days, Satan challenged Jesus’ divinity. The challenge, “If you are the Son of God…” (Matthew 4:3) was met with Jesus’ declaration that there is something much more basic than physical needs. Jesus told Satan and reminded all of us that man’s very existence depends upon the word of God.
Likewise, king David reflected on God’s faithfulness in providing what His people needed in the Exodus (Psalm 68:10b), “in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.”
God’s word comforts and instructs His people. God revealed His faithfulness to provide for the needs of His people. God humbled His people in the wilderness so that they would know this important fact. When we think of God’s providence we are naturally drawn to our very existence. All mankind exists by God’s word. There is no life possible apart from the word of God. The plain truth is that because God is, we are! All life proceeds from Him. The Apostle Paul told the philosophers in Athens that all mankind lives and moves and have being [existence] in Jesus. Paul wrote to the church in Colossae, “All things were created through him and for him… and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17). God provides for every breath, every action, every need.
Even though our circumstances may cause us to become self-focused, we must preach to ourselves that God will provide. Even those who profess Christ often live as though they are the center of everything and fall prey to being manipulated by difficult even dire circumstances. Some even look to the government to provide their needs and deliver them from their distresses. When man is the source of deliverance and they fail, as they will, the result is depression, anger, and despair. Unscrupulous leaders design systems purposed in making men dependent upon them. These leaders make promises that they have no intention of keeping. Yet they depend upon those who are already trusting in them to believe the promises and continue to keep them in power.
The state of our current affairs causing many to depend upon men didn’t happen overnight. It took many decades of trusting in man in our nation for our elected leaders to convince many citizens that they are dependent upon government. It will likely take a much longer time to reverse this trend if God wills to do it.
In the meantime, God has ordained our current situation to teach all of us, especially the church, that He is the center of the world. He is the one who ordains the steps of men. It is His word by which we live and move and exist. He is the one who provides for the needs of His people.
No matter what circumstance you happen to find yourself in, look up to the One who made heaven and earth (see Psalm 121:1-2). God may not immediately rescue you from your dire circumstance. But, He has promised to bring you to glory by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Know that we all depend upon God who has promised to provide what you need.
Your current situation may not change. Know that during your difficulty, God is with you. If you belong to Him, He has promised never to leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5).
I urge you to know this truth. God has revealed the fact of man’s dependence upon Him for existence so that we might acknowledge His sovereignty and submit ourselves to Him who is the Great Provider!
