Read Philippians 4:19

I love being a grandma.  It is the best job, other than raising my own kids, that I ever had.   I admit I spoil them, as much as I can, especially when it comes to birthdays.  But isn’t that what grandmas are for? Now that 4 out of the 5 are teenagers, it is getting harder to pick out the perfect gift.  I often find myself asking, “What do you want for your birthday?”  More and more, I get the reply of “I don’t need anything!”

Then my reply is always, “I didn’t ask what you NEED, I asked what do you WANT?”

Needs and wants. That is a hard concept for kids to grasp and even some adults. Not knowing the difference can trick one into treating God, not as the Loving Father, but more like a heavenly ATM.

“The Bible says God will supply all my needs, then why can’t I have a big house or a fancy car?” How many people have driven down the road to ruin, thinking, “If I just pray to God, He will let me get the big promotion with a big raise!” Or they think that, if they just pray hard enough, God will give them an A+ on an exam.  Then they take it out on God if it doesn’t happen.

In our verse today, it says God will supply all of our NEEDS.  It doesn’t say He will supply all of our wants.  Like any good Father, He knows what we need often way before we know it ourselves. But, also like a Loving Father, He knows what things will harm us and eventually become our “God” in place of Him!

When my husband, Jon, and I first got married, we started out on the low end economically.  It was a scary thing to be newly married and out on our own.  I only had a part time job and Jon had just gotten at job at a factory.  Unbeknownst to me, Jon prayed to God that he would protect us and that he would give us the wisdom to manage our money so we had enough of it to pay our bills each month.  Fifty years later, I can testify that Jon’s prayers were answered in the affirmative.  I am not saying we didn’t have set backs like when Jon finally went back to his job after being laid off, only to learn that they were going out on strike! God didn’t pull us miraculously out of the trouble but lead us in the direction of where we could find help, where Jon could pick up a few dollars shoveling manure and driving a little blind lady around town.  Just enough to get us through the crisis at the time.

Are you facing insecurity? Are you at the point where you don’t know which way to turn for help?  Why not have a little talk with your Heavenly Father?  Maybe your priorities need a little bit of adjusting. He knows what you NEED!  He won’t let you down!

Pat Arnold