Articles
God Supplies in Abundance
Imagine being at an outside festival that only had one food truck with 5 fish sandwiches to feed the thousands of attendees. Would you be worried that the food would run out before they get to you? Would you want to start fighting for one of the first few spots in line to get food? These doubts, and others like them, were probably experienced by the members of the crowd that Jesus fed in Matthew 14:13-21. Jesus—by the power of God—provided 12 baskets of leftover food after everyone was satisfied, despite starting with 5 loaves and 2 fish (Matthew 14:20). God supplies us with everything we could ever need in this life. Jesus in Matthew 6:26 enlightens us to how God even feeds and shelters the birds of the air who do not accomplish any kind of labor. He then asks the rhetorical question, “are you more valuable than they?” God has and will continue to always provide for His children.
In the Old Testament, God’s chosen people were the descendants of Abraham, otherwise known as the Israelites. An example of God providing for the Israelites can be found in Exodus 16 when God fed them manna and quail in the desert wilderness. In Exodus 16, the Israelites had spent many days walking in the desert after being freed from slavery in Egypt by God. The people started to groan and complain to Moses and Aaron about having something to eat. The Lord heard the Israelite’s complaint and fed them with quails and manna from Heaven. Regarding the amount of food the Lord provided each day, Exodus 16:17-18 (ESV) says, “And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat.” God provided the manna for 40 years, till they were permitted by God to enter the land of Canaan. Since the time of the Israelites, the Lord has been providing His people with exactly what they need to live a satisfying life.
A satisfying life also goes beyond daily bread and other physical needs that Matthw 6:25-34 tell us to not be anxious about. When Jesus prayers in Matthew 6:9-13, He prays for God to forgive our sins and to deliver us from temptation and all evil. God has blessed His children with more than just an opportunity to be satisfied in our temporary lives on Earth. Through His son we have been given the opportunity to be abundantly satisfied for all eternity. Ephesians 1:1-14 teaches that God predestined mankind for adoption through the plan he set forth by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ fulfilled this plan by willingly dying on the cross so that we can be redeemed by God for our trespasses of sin against Him. As long as we hear God’s word, believe in His teachings, and fully commit ourselves to God through the waters of baptism, then the Holy Spirit—which is the guarantee of our inheritance—will reside in us till we gain possession of it. The only question that remains is, will you grumble and doubt the Lord’s provision, or will you choose to have faith in God above all else?
