News flash: the Lord provides everything we need for us! Ok, given the aim of this blog and the likely audience reading this article, that probably isn’t news to you. (How blessed are we to already have this notion in our consciousness!)
Having grown up in the New Church, I’ve known this concept – intellectually – for much of my 45 years; it’s only within the last few, though, that I’ve paused to reflect on it, let it sink in a bit, and really see it in action in my life. I’ve been astonished by how things just work out! For example, I enjoy cooking and spend a fair bit of time in the kitchen, which probably explains why I’ve noticed a fair number of provisions there:
– I needed 1/4 cup of flour: there was exactly 1/4 cup left in the jar!
– I needed 1 1/2 cups of evaporated milk: between the frozen 1/3ish cup in one can + what’s left in the other = 1 1/2 cups!
– I needed at least 3 cups of cauliflower rice: the riced stub of cauliflower left in my produce drawer = a generous 3 cups!
These are very material, natural examples of how the Lord has provided for me; I can only imagine how He is wonderfully providing for my spirit. Seeing these tangible examples, though, encourages me that, hey, if He’s providing for these little things, presumably – hopefully! – He’s providing for the bigger, more important ones, too. (Maybe these little obvious ones are His way of pointing them out to me, to draw my attention to the fact that He really does provide all things?)
It’s easy to get bogged down in worldly things, especially in these weird times we’re experiencing in our world today. The Lord tells us repeatedly in His Word that we need not worry so long as we do His will and trust in Him. Whenever we’re in doubt, let us be encouraged by His words to us!
“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 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? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-end)
“When the Lord is with someone He leads him and makes provision so that all that happens, whether sad or joyful, may bring him what is good. This is Divine Providence.” (Arcana Cœlestia 6303)
(These are but a couple such instances; if you want to read more about it, I suggest you check out Arcana Cœlestia 8478 for an explanation of this quote from Matthew; Arcana Cœlestia 8455 and Divine Providence 179 are great, too!)
I’ll leave you with this psalm, rejoicing in the Lord. Let us all remember that He is looking out for us, every moment of every day – let us rejoice in Him and His loving providence!
“I will exalt You, my God the King; I will praise Your name for ever and ever.
Every day I will praise You and extol Your name for ever and ever.
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation commends Your works to another; they tell of Your mighty acts.
They speak of the glorious splendor of Your majesty—and I will meditate on Your wonderful works.
They tell of the power of Your awesome works—and I will proclaim Your great deeds.
They celebrate Your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.
The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made.
All Your works praise You, Lord; Your faithful people extol You.
They tell of the glory of Your kingdom and speak of Your might,
so that all people may know of Your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of Your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations.
The Lord is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does.
The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food at the proper time.
You open Your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in all His ways and faithful in all He does.
The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth.
He fulfils the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord watches over all who love Him, but all the wicked He will destroy.
My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord. Let every creature praise His holy name for ever and ever.”
(Psalm 145)
In Jenn’s article she’s noticing many of the little ways the Lord is providing for her. And if he is doing that, then she says”I can only imagine how He is wonderfully providing for my spirit.” Along these lines I have learned to feel good about the way the Lord is taking care of other people. When I see or hear of someone with a difficult life problem, I think of how the Lord has brought me through hard times and that he must be doing the same thing for that person. I become happy for the person, knowing that ultimately the Lord will bring her/him to a state of goodness which is much better than what they are suffering through now. In an image of compassion, I can see the person being uplifted.
Yeah — it’s kind of an ‘a-ha’ moment for me when I remember to consider how the Lord is taking care of other people, too! We’ve all got our ‘stuff’ and are all on our own journeys….. Thanks for that perspective, Helen!
Hi Jenn,
This is lovely and so uplifting. I just LOVE IT when there are ‘obvious’ things, as you mentioned, that demonstrate CLEARLY how the Lord provides for us, even in the littlest details! Where I get more bogged down is in the ‘denser’, bigger life issues. I “know” in my mind that the Lord provides, but in my frail, human, limited thinking… it’s hard to see sometimes. I think of big challenges like worrying about the future welfare of our children, especially those that ‘really don’t appear to be going down a ‘Godly path’, shall we say? I do “know” the Lord is doing whatever He CAN to guide each person, but if that person isn’t interested in the His guidance…. what DOES the Lord provide? He’s knocking at the door waiting to be invited in (looooong wait). He’s urgently pressing to be received. I guess it’s often a matter of ‘just’ continuing to trust, as a mother, that each child/teen/adult has to follow their own path and the Lord will continue to sow seeds and provide, waiting for reception (or not). Perhaps it’s sufficient for ME to just keep doing my part to receive what He provides… including any reassurance and comfort and trust that IN THE LONG RUN everything will be what it needs to be.
“Where I get more bogged down is in the ‘denser’, bigger life issues. I “know” in my mind that the Lord provides, but in my frail, human, limited thinking… it’s hard to see sometimes.” Yes ma’am, me too, for sure!! Trusting can be soooo hard. Just doing our parts, supporting our kids as best we can….. and reminding ourselves that it’s in His hands, not really ours, anyway. We do what we can, and have to leave the rest to Him – and REMEMBER to leave it and that He’s had it all along, in the first place! So true. Thanks!