WEDNESDAY 16th
Philippians 4:10-19
NIV (v19) – ‘And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.’
ESV (v19) – ‘And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.’
We come to our final devotion from Philippians. Psalm 50:10 tells us that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, (‘For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.’) God owns everything, for he created it all, at creation he gave the responsibility of looking after it to mankind. (Genesis 2:15) But even though God gave the responsibility to Adam in the Garden of Eden, it does not mean that God no longer cares for what he has created, he did not sit back and say. ‘Well that’s it, it’s up to Adam now’ and put his feet up and the kettle on. No, God is still continually active toward that which he has created, it is he who sustains it, it is he who has caused and still causes the seasons, the sunshine, the rain etc for that which we need to survive and things to continue to grow. In the same Psalm I have already mentioned the very next verse continues ‘I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.’ Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 10:29 ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.’
God is continually active in the care of creation, from the minutest insect to the largest mammal. Jesus continued in Matthew 10 to say, ‘But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.’ God the creator, is also the carer, he cares for that which he has crated, he cares for you and for me. Therefore because of his constant care he will always make provision for us, thus Paul would say, ‘And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.’ EVERY NEED, not every want or every demand. He knows what we need, he has already met the deepest need, which was the need for salvation, for forgiveness, for regeneration, for reconciliation and that need was met at the Cross, he also provides the ongoing spiritual needs that we have through the many blessings that are ours in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:3), he will also meet our every need in the ongoing living out of our Christian lives, that is for grace, strength, power, etc.
In the context of this verse Paul is talking about the ongoing provision that has been made available to him through the giving of the believers, which he thanks them for and sees it as being God meeting his need. And God is daily meeting our needs, Jesus himself taught us to say when we pray, ‘Give us this day our daily bread,’ it isn’t an open ticket to ask God to provide without us having to do anything about it, he provides it primarily through the work that he has given us to do, we work, we earn, we get the bread, but thank God that when things might be tough, when the job has come to an end, when the cupboard is bare, he will meet our need through other means, such as we see with Paul through the Philippian Church.
I think it is important to link this verse with previous verses that came from the pen of Paul in this same chapter, he had a balanced approach, ‘. . . for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.’
Finally, some well-known words from Jesus himself:
‘Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.’ (Matthew 6:25–34)