Assurance of God's Daily Provision

Introduction

When we trust in Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we become a child of God, one who is both born and adopted into the family of God. As such, we become the recipients of God's personal care as a loving heavenly Father.

John 1:12-13
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
13 who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Romans 8:15-16
15 For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!"
16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

Galatians 3:26 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 7:7-11
7 Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone?
10 or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

As God is perfect, so His care must also be perfect and complete. The following overview covers some of the key areas of God's personal care for believers in Christ as His beloved children. These are truths that are of special importance to new believers.

The Promise That God Cares

As children of God, all believers become the personal responsibility of an all wise, sovereign, and all powerful God, who, as a heavenly Father, cares in an infinite way for each one of His children. The promise of 1 Peter 5:7 flows out of the exhortation of verse 6 and should be understood and applied in this context. Let's focus on three aspects of this promise: the responsibility, the root, and the reason.

1 Peter 5:6-7
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time.
7 Casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

The Responsibility or Exhortation

The promise of God's care comes out of the preceding verse and the command, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time." This is a call for a willing subjection or submission under God's sovereign authority and omnipotence. In the Greek, the verb is a command and is in the passive voice. Rather than "humble yourselves," it means "be humbled," or "allow yourself to be humbled." The context in 1 Peter is that of persecution and suffering for the name of Christ during our sojourn on this earth. Suffering is a training tool that God uses, like the blast furnace used by a refiner of fine metals, to purify and develop our faith. This is a humbling process in that it causes us to live more and more in dependence on God.

For the refining concept, note 1 Peter 1:6-9.
6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

The pride of man is best seen in his determination to live by his own solutions in independence of God. As an illustration, when under persecution, man's tendency is to strike back or in some way to take matters into his own hands rather than rest his life under the mighty hand of God. Peter points us to the Lord Jesus as the perfect example of submission and humility in 1 Peter 2:21-25. By the command of 1 Pet 2:6, he is exhorting us to allow God to humble us through the sufferings of this life.

1 Peter 2:21-25
21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,
22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;
23 and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;
24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.
25 For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

The Root or Foundation

The root for true submission under God's might hand is seen in the words, "casting all your anxiety upon Him." We might paraphrase the text, "Be humbled … by casting all your anxiety upon the Lord." This is more evident from the construction of the Greek text than the English, but this is the meaning. Casting our care on the Lord becomes the foundation and the means for the humbling process that needs to take place.

Furthermore, in the Greek text, "all your anxiety" is really, "the whole of your anxiety or care." The idea is not that we are to cast each of our worries on the Lord, but that we need to come to the place where we have placed our lives, with all its burdens, concerns, and fears, into His loving and capable hands. Rather than take matters into our own hands, rather than try to manipulate and control others and our circumstances, we are to resolve to rest our lives in God's care, purposes, and timing. When we truly do this, we are able to submit ourselves under God's mighty hand to work out His sovereign purpose. When this is not the case, we will invariably exalt ourselves by trying to manipulate the circumstances of life, especially when under suffering and persecution.

In 1 Samuel, God appointed David to be king in place of Saul because of Saul's disobedience (cf. 1 Sam. 15:1-35; 16:1-23). Saul was a man who, rather than trust his life under the mighty hand of God, consistently sought to take matters into his own hands. He was a manipulator and a controller, and there is a lot of this Saul-like character in each of us. God did not want David to be like a Saul, so He used Saul and his persecution of David to take the Saul-like character out of David. On two different occasions, Saul threw a spear at David to kill him. What was Saul attempting to do? He was seeking to manipulate and control his own destiny. He was refusing to submit to God's will. And what did David do? Did he pick up the spear and throw it back at Saul? No. Casting the whole of his care on God, he submitted his life under the mighty hand of God. He ducked and slipped away (see 1 Samuel 18:10-20).

The Reason or Explanation

The reason we are to submit and cast our cares on the Lord is seen in the words, "for He cares for you." Literally, the Greek text reads, "because to Him it is a care concerning you." This means you and I are His personal concern. We matter greatly to God. Why worry then if we are God's personal concern? To fail to trust in God's care is in essence an act of self exaltation. It is to act as though we care more than God and can do what God cannot do. Or it is to say, we are afraid of what God will do; we don't want to trust Him with our life. He may take something away that we think we need. If God did the maximum for us in that He spared not His own Son, how much more will He not care for us as His redeemed children?

Romans 8:32
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?

Romans 5:8-11
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.
10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

The Promise of Provision for All Our Needs

Since God is concerned for each of us as His redeemed children, the Apostle Paul assures us this concern certainly extends to our basic daily needs (but not our greed). The Apostle wrote, "And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19). This promise was made in connection with the financial support the Philippians had sent to Paul for his missionary ministry. He was assuring them that their giving would never be their lack. God would supply their needs, and the reason for His supply, was nothing less than "His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Governing God's provision is nothing short of the wealth of what God has done for us in Christ. Again, Romans 8:32 comes to mind.

The Lord Jesus gave an exhortation against anxiety regarding our daily needs. He focused on the fact of God's personal care for our basic needs in Matthew 6:25-34.
Three times He tells us "do not be anxious" (Mt 6:25, 31 and 34). Five times questions are asked that are designed to show the foolishness of anxiety.

Matthew 6:25-34
25 For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?
26 Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?
27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span?
28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin,
29 yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory did not clothe himself like one of these.
30 But if God so arrays the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more do so for you, O men of little faith?
31 Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?'
32 For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
34 Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Why is anxiety foolish? It is foolish because it is futile in view of the Father's loving care and knowledge of our needs (cf.Mt 6:25, 26, 27, 28, 30). He teaches us such worry is the product of being people of "little faith." Worry is the product of failing to reflect on the fatherly care God must have for us as His people since He shows such wonderful care for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. Finally, He shows that due to God's loving care and the temporary and evil nature of this world, our greatest priority and concern must be the spiritual (Mt 6:33-34).

The Promise of Provision Through Prayer

As members of God's family, all believers have direct access to God as their heavenly Father through their Great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ. While God knows our needs before we ask (Matt. 6:32), and is intimately concerned, we are, nevertheless, to take our needs and those of others to God's throne of grace in prayer.

Hebrews 4:16
Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need.

1 Peter 5:7
casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

Matthew 7:7-11
7 Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.
9 Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

1 John 5:14-15
14 And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

Philippians 4:6-8
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things.

Since God knows and cares, why pray? Because God has chosen to work in our lives through prayer. James 5:16 tells us the fervent prayer of a righteous person accomplishes much.

Prayer is a vehicle of fellowship.

Prayer is an evidence of faith or a spirit of dependence.

Prayer is also a means of focusing our hearts on the Lord, His purposes, and His care.

Many of the Psalms are lament or petition Psalms. In them, we often find they begin highlighting a condition of trouble, sometimes even in a spirit of despair or frustration over the problems the author was facing. In the process of the Psalmist's prayer to God, however, as he takes his burdens to the Lord, he also gets his eyes on God's person, God's principles, and God's promises. As he does this, he gains a new outlook. The Psalms then finish in a spirit of confident expectation and joy in the Lord. God had not changed, but the Psalmist had been changed through the process of prayer (cf. Psa. 3:1-8; 5:1-12; 6:1-10; 7:10, 13). When our hearts are truly seeking God, prayer becomes a place where God is able to change us and mould us to His will.

Prayer is where we confess sin, give thanks and praise to God, and make our needs known in specific requests. But our greatest need is to be conformed into the image of God's Son, the Lord Jesus. The Lord promises that God, as a father kind of God, will not give us a stone if we ask for bread, nor a snake if we ask for a fish. In His perfect love and wisdom, He only knows how to give what is best to us. But we must understand that what we think of as bread or a fish, may in reality be a stone or a snake. This is why God often does not answer our requests with a yes, and why our prayer needs to be conformed to His will.

Matthew 7:9-11 Or what man is there among you, when his son shall ask him for a loaf, will give him a stone?
10 Or if he shall ask for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he?
11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!

James 4:3
You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

This requires time and is perhaps why the Lord gives the three pictures of asking, seeking, and knocking in Matthew 7:7-8:
7 Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.
8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened.

Prayer is not just a matter of asking, but of seeking God's direction and will, and waiting on Him just as one knocks and waits at the door for someone to hear and open the door. Keep asking, be patient, and be sure to ask what God's will is in the matter. Is what I am asking really what is best according to God's purposes and wisdom?

Hindrances to Prayer

The following is a list of some things that hinder our prayer life:

Maladjustment to the Holy Spirit.

John 4:22-23
22 You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
22 But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers.

Jude 20
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith; praying in the Holy Spirit;

Ephesians 6:18
With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

Psalm 66:18
If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;

Ephesians 4:30
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Maladjustment to the Word of God'

(cf. also Psa. 119:1-176)

Proverbs 28:9
He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.

John 15:7
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you.

Failure to pray in faith.

Matthew 21:22
And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive.

1 John 5:14-15
14 And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

James 1:5-7
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a re-warder of those who seek Him.

Failure to ask because of a spirit of self-dependence.

James 4:2
You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. And you are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

Failure to ask from the right motives, without concern for God's will.

James 4:3
You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

James 4:15
Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that."

1 Corinthians 4:19
But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I shall find out, not the words of those who are arrogant, but their power.

Matthew 6:10
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.

Matthew 26:42
He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Thy will be done."

Failure to endure, fainting under pressure.

Luke 18:1
Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,

1 Samuel 27:1-3
1 Then David said to himself, "Now I will perish one day by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape into the land of the Philistines. Saul then will despair of searching for me any-more in all the territory of Israel, and I will escape from his hand."
2 So David arose and crossed over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.
3 And David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men, each with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal's widow.

Isaiah 40:31
Yet those who wait for the LORD will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

Wrong relations with people, an unforgiving spirit.

Mark 11:25-26
25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.
26 (But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.)

Pretentious praying, praying to impress people.

Matthew 6:5-8
5 And when you pray, you are not to be as the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.
7 And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
8 Therefore do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him.

Religious zeal in the form of vain repetitions and cultic ritual.

Matthew 6:7
And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.

1 Kings 18:26-29
26 Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O Baal, answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.
27 And it came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened."
28 So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.
29 And it came about when midday was past, that they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.

Romans 10:2-3
2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.
3 For not knowing about God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

Domestic breakdown in the home.

1 Peter 3:7
You husbands likewise, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker vessel, since she is a woman; and grant her honour as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Conclusion

In the final decades of the life of George McCluskey he became extremely burdened for his children and each day spent the hour from 11 to 12 praying for them. He prayed not only for them, but also for his grandchildren and great grandchildren, as yet unborn. He asked that they would come to know the true God through His Son, and dedicate their lives to His service. Of the following four generations, every child has either become a minister or married a minister, with one exception. That exception is a name familiar to most of us today, Dr. James Dobson. Few will ever hear of George McCluskey, but because of him lives of future generations were undeniably blessed.