Jan 6/7 - Philippians 4:19

 

My God will fully

satisfy every need

of yours according

to his riches in glory

in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:19

 

God will fully satisfy every need.

 

Wait. Read that again.

 

God will fully satisfy every need.

 

Every need? Really?!?!

 

Wait a minute … Is this saying that God is a genie in a lamp? Rub things the right way and you’ll get your wish?

 

No. It doesn’t say that God will fully satisfy every want. It says, he’ll satisfy every need. (And how many parents know there’s a huge difference between wants and needs. I mean, how many times have your kids come to you saying, “I need this. And I need that.” And you’ve had to correct them, saying, “No, you want this and you want that.”)

 

But take this to a different level. Generally speaking most people in the world each day have what they really need – food, water, air. Nevertheless, aren’t there are people – every day – who don’t have what they need? Aren’t there kids, for example, who go to sleep hungry? Is God falling down on his job? Is this verse incorrect?

 

No. God does provide for every need. He provides a world full of enough food, water, and air for everyone. But in a world of sin, we don’t always share our resources equitably … and as a consequence, too many children go hungry.

 

But what about famines? That can’t be from sin, can it? Well … yes … it is. Before sin, the world was a garden. Calamity is a consequence of living in a broken world, a world in which we’ve asked God to not be fully in charge of.

 

Think about it this way: Sin is rebellion. It’s humanity telling God, “We want to do it our way.” (Which all of us – in big ways and small – do every day. We constantly live our lives without consulting God.) And whenever we say, “We want to do it our way,” we’re telling God, to take his hand of protection off. And so he does. And then we blame him – instead of humanity – for the consequences of living in a broken world.

 

Nevertheless, God does provide for every need. He gives life – because apart from him, there is no life. He provides a world with enough food, water, and air – and enough resources for shelter. More than that, he provides the resources for the need of love – generally it happens in family (he’s wired us that way), but it always includes a self-giving love from him. God also provides us with the need for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control … when we abide most fully in his presence. And at the end of our days on this broken planet, he provides those who believe in him with everything we need for more life, eternal life.

 

When we deal with our kids, fulfilling needs is a matter of perspective – do we have the perspective to understand the difference between needs and wants. When we deal with our own hearts in a broken world, understanding needs is also a matter of perspective. Do you trust that God knows you, loves you, and works constantly on your behalf – not as a genie, but as a Gracious Father? Pain and want will occasionally befall us in this broken world, but with God, something better is always coming!

 

In Christ’s Love,

a guy who wants much

… but needs only God!