Trusting God for provision
Anticipating the fallout from Covid 19
Well, lockdown has eased enough to allow us to get out and about from 6-9am every morning within a five kilometre radius of our residence. It is wonderful to get some real exercise and to see everyone else enjoying the beautiful autumn weather here in South Africa.
What’s next?
Yet, while we appreciate the newfound freedom, there is apprehension in the air over the fallout from the lockdown and a deep desire to be back to normal.
But I wonder if ‘normal’ will be what we knew it to be before Covid 19? And do we really want that? Many people have expressed how much they’ve enjoyed extra family time, time to spend on their hobbies. Likewise, the resurgence of wild life and cleansing of our atmosphere and rivers has shown us just how much we are damaging our world in our scramble for “stuff”.
We’ve been sacrificing what’s important for material ‘stuff’
It has made many of us realise that actually, we are sacrificing things of true value to earn the money we need to sustain a lifestyle and provide for the family.
A lesson from George Muller
This is not a modern problem, though perhaps it is worse than it has been in the past. No doubt many of you have heard of George Muller? Starting in 1836, without soliciting for funds, he built five orphanages at an estimated cost of £100,000 each. He purely trusted God to provide. In his lifetime he cared for over 10,000 orphans, giving them a fine education and finding employment for them. He also founded schools, distributed over 280,000 Bibles and nearly 1.5 million New Testaments. Without any government assistance and with no fund raising of any kind, it is estimated that over £1.3 million (about £103 million in todays terms) passed through his institutions.
You have probably heard of him, but did you know his motive for starting the first orphanage was to demonstrate to his parishioners that they could trust God to provide?
He saw the menfolk working long hours, neglecting quality time with their families to provide for them (sound familiar?) and filled with anxiety over their future. George Muller had been living by faith, trusting God for his own needs. He held no collection each Sunday, but merely had a box at the back of his church where people could place money if they desired. He never made his needs known, save to God. And he saw God come through all the time. He wanted his parishioners to learn to trust God in the same way, so he started an orphanage as a living demonstration of what God can do. And God was faithful providing far beyond his humble beginnings of an orphanage in his own home.
God speaks loudly through His Word
The book of Isaiah is filled with exhortations to trust God in the midst of trouble. He predicts problems for those who deny Him and chase after other ways of sorting out their troubles, but is full of assurance to those who trust Him. Listen to this, as an example:
Isaiah 33: 14 “The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless”
This is the state of many hearts in this present crisis. Yet hear His word to those who faithfully trust Him and walk in His ways:
vs. 15 “He who walks righteously and speaks what is right” … (words of faith)... “who rejects gain from extortion and keeps his hand from accepting bribes”……..(are committed to God and His ways)“……..his bread will be supplied and water will not fail him.”
I believe God is giving us an opportunity to trust Him as never before. Let’s prove ourselves faithful in trusting Him so that He can prove Himself faithful in providing for us.
