Trusting God in a Financial Crisis Paraugs

Day 4—God graciously provides for His children.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear . . . Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? — Matthew 6:25–27 (NIV)

Okay, people. If God made and owns everything, and He entrusts us as His stewards, then that means we can depend on Him to provide. So, we have to ask ourselves, Do I believe that He’s good? Will He take care of me? 

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus shares one of His most famous teachings on anxiety and worry. He tells His followers to learn from the birds of the air. 

I want you to do something: Look outside your window. Hopefully you live in a place where you can see birds and hear them singing. They seem to be doing okay, don’t they? Not a single one is watching in fear as the stock market rises and falls like a roller coaster. None of them are hoarding a year’s worth of rice and beans. I know this sounds ridiculous, but hear me on this: They’re just birds! You’re a human being, carefully made in the divine image of God. Don’t you think He cares more about you than the sparrows and the blue jays? 

Here’s another way to look at it: Are you putting your hope in the giver or in His gifts? Money and possessions are good things, but they are weak substitutes for God Himself. He’s the ultimate source of our security. As 1 Timothy 6:17 (NIV) says, we shouldn’t put our hope in riches, but instead, “hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”

Here are a couple questions to help you dig deeper: 

·  Think back on your life. What are some ways that God has provided for you? 

·  In what specific ways do you need to see God’s provision today? 

God isn’t worried about layoffs and economic downturns. He feeds the birds day in and day out, and you better believe He’ll take care of you too.