God's Nourishment

God is with us. . . and Provides

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19

. . . We all know the mothering potholes of patience, sleep, money, creative ideas, and self-confidence. We can feel empty in those areas - as in vacant. The other synonym strain for empty is empty as in meaningless, purposeless, and pointless.

Big difference. But the same God exists over a broken budget and a broken spirit. He is a God who provides. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted" (Matthew 5:3-4).

We are not told, "Blessed are those who want new shoes, for they will be sent an anonymous gift card in the mail." Too often we see what we don't have, instead of what we do. Too often our idea of provision is getting what we want, instead of accepting what God wants to give us.

. . . I love the story in the Bible of how God provided for the prophet Elijah. After he commanded a punitive, three-year drought, there was famine. God told his faithful servant to travel near to the Jordan and said to him, "You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there" (1 Kings 17:4).

Ravens are birds of prey and are certainly not known for sharing. A very unlikely source of provision. So was a dried-up brook. Likewise, we are being given to, even when it seems like the world (or the job of mothering) is only taking from us.

When Abraham was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac to God, and was an obedient strike away form doing so, an angelic voice was sent to halt the bloodshed and deliver a promise of great blessing.

"So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, 'On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided" (Genesis 22:14).

Trusting on the mountain, or in the valley, is difficult. God doesn't always provide the resolution of a crisis in relationships or finances or health the way we'd like. Many times we don't provide the faithfulness I'm sure he'd like. In life's storms we sometimes find safe harbor and don't credit him. Other times we stagger through the current and rage at him. I like to imagine he sees each of us in neon rain gear - never out of his sight. . .

Lord you have nourished me and I still hunger. Help me trust that you will always give me what I need.

-From the "Chapter 10: Nourishment" from the book Always There by Susan Besze Wallace, pp. 179-181

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