Blog 22 – The God of the Kingdom Shall Provide

As the children of God, we should have no trouble believing that God shall supply our need. 

We must believe His promises. Philippians 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” 

Do you know the actual meaning of the word glory, as used in that verse? The Greek word, doxa, is translated as glory.  It means, glorious, honor, praise, dignity, and worship. God supplies our need according to His honor, glory, and dignity. Praise and worship are part of the meaning. We always are to praise and worship Him for His provision. Even before it happens! 

That is a principle of how the Kingdom works. 

If you ever have a need, no matter how small, God can supply it. Nothing is insignificant with God. 

Let me tell you the story of the paper Peso and the ankle.

One of the most unique characteristics of the Lord is that he really does care about even the little things. The reason the Bible mentions that even the very hairs of your head are numbered, is to illustrate the fact that God is involved in and cares about every aspect of your life.

One of my greatest recollections of just how much He cares happened to the wife of my Assistant Pastor in our first daughter church that we were establishing in Mexico years ago. Every time I think of this story, I am reminded again that our God really does care, and He really will supply all of our needs according to his riches. The unique characteristic of this event is the fact that it was a miracle to the equivalent of just one single dollar, but that dollar was desperately needed at the time it came.

Now that you know this story must have a happy ending, I’ll tell the story.

I had started the church in a barrio area that had no utility services whatsoever. Our evening services were lit by kerosene lanterns, or at times propane lanterns. Neither of these was safe nor efficient for indoor services during inclement weather, but it was simply all we had. 

Fortunately, the Lord enabled us to have many services without any serious mishaps.

Finally, the utility company brought water and eventually electricity into the area. The neighbor next to the church was the first home around the church to obtain electrical service. We talked with the neighbor, and he agreed to loan us electricity for the grand total of one dollar per service … paid in advance of each service. That enabled us to extend our extension cord from his house to the church’s single light bulb. This small but notable improvement enabled us to have electric lighting instead of lantern lighting.

One evening I told Cornelio, the Assistant Pastor, that I would be unable to attend the next service. We agreed that he would take care of everything, including obtaining the electricity and preaching the service.

I never dreamed that such a small request would create a tremendous trial of faith for Carmen, his dear wife. On the day of the service, they did not have a dollar to pay for the electricity! Carmen fasted and prayed throughout the day for the Lord to provide. She told the Lord that she did not want the neighbor of the church to know the church did not have a dollar, for she felt like our Lord deserved a better testimony than that. She also felt as though they would disappoint me as their pastor because I had placed such confidence in them.

That afternoon she dressed her children, then she, her husband and the children walked toward the church. She prayed silently as she walked that God would somehow provide a miracle and give them a dollar.

Two blocks from the church the road goes up a very high hill. At that time, it was very steep and rough. The holes in the unpaved road were so deep in it that it required a four-wheel drive vehicle to navigate it safely. She continued praying as she walked down the steep hill. She recalled that there seemed to be no breeze that day, but somehow a piece of paper came blowing up the hill toward her. She was too busy walking carefully down the hill to notice the paper until it came up to her and wrapped around her ankle. As she reached down to pull the paper away, she noticed that it was a peso bill in the exact Mexican currency equivalent of one U.S. dollar! 

God had supplied the money for the electricity. It happened only minutes away from the point of need. 

God cares about the small things. He does provide for His children.