We live in a world that glorifies self-reliance and independence. It isn’t just secular culture that tells us to strive constantly—our own sinful hearts aim to be self-sufficient and self-righteous. Thankfully, we will always have needs. Our capacity is limited, our resources can be scarce or our external support might be waning, but God is always making a way to provide. Despite our pride and perceived autonomy, God reengages our hearts and minds when our daily circumstances show our true dependence on our Heavenly Father.
Jesus tells us that the birds of the air and the lilies of the field are given everything they need and that people are more valuable than birds and flowers. As such, we don’t need to be anxious about how our needs will be taken care of; instead we should look to God and rely on His provision (Matthew 6:25–34). We see examples of our Father in Heaven making miracles happen when resources were few—manna from Heaven (Exodus 16), a tiny amount of ingredients to become an unending supply of food (1 Kings 17:7–16), feeding five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 14). We can trust that if God performs miracles at this scale, He can work miracles in our relationships; finances; food, housing, employment needs; family turmoil and trauma.
In Matthew 6, when Jesus told His followers not to be anxious about anything, it was right after He had taught how to pray. It’s not a coincidence that in the prayer Jesus teaches us to ask for our daily bread, forgiveness of our sins and protection over temptation—this is how we pursue God’s provision and recognize it when it is given. Our needs and desperation draw us into dependency on God. Gratitude, contentment and trust in God all increase when we rest in His promises to provide good things for us. We need so much and that is a gift in itself.
