The LORD said to Moses, "Now I am going to make food rain down from the sky for all of you. Exodus 16:4a, GNT

 

And with all his abundant wealth through Christ Jesus, my God will supply all your needs. Philippians 4:19, GNT

 

The dictionary tells me that the word provide means to secure and supply for use, furnish, equip or give what is desired or needed, typically referring to support, food or sustenance. If we look at the definition above, the idea that God is our provider is loaded with meaning. In the Heidelberg Catechism (a Christian instruction book written in a question-and-answer format to summarise Reformed Protestant doctrine), the concept of God as provider is spelled out in detail.

 

Under the heading of the 10th Lord’s Day, the Catechism asks the question: "What do you understand by the providence of God?” The answer is as follows: "The almighty and ever-present power of God by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures, and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty—all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand.”

 

In the two Bible concordances that I consulted, the word “provide” is mostly associated with the supply of food or sustenance as is evident in the verse from Exodus, but there is more to this, as we will see later on. In the well-known story of the manna and quail that literally fell from heaven at regular times, we see God’s provision when his people needed food.

 

In Philippians we find the other perspective: God’s provision is much more than just about food or clothes and a place to live. It is also about our spiritual needs. He does not provide because he owes us anything, but out of “his abundant wealth through Christ Jesus …”

 

Furthermore, his omnipotence and omnipresence are especially displayed in how he upholds heaven and earth, rules over all things and provides us with everything we need, as described in the Heidelberg Catechism.

 

Prayer: Heavenly Father, when we look at everything that you provide, we want to echo the words of Paul in Romans: “How great are God’s riches! How deep are his wisdom and knowledge! Who can explain his decisions? Who can understand his ways?” Amen.