Yes, ” … my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4: 19). A promise invaluable, that riches cannot buy, and free to all of God’s obedient children, regardless of race, color, or age.
Unfortunately, the majority of His children live far beneath their privileges as a child of the King of kings, and many fail to take advantage of this promise.
“Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?” (Matthew 7:9-11).
His children limit Him, when all His resources are at their disposal if the requirement is met. In Jeremiah 32:27, it is written, ” … I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?”
God always answers when His children pray; though the answer received is not always the way the children thought it would he. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).
Notice, He has promised to supply all your need. It is written, “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass” (Psalm 37:4-5). There are three things for you to do: delight in the Lord, commit to the Lord, and trust in the Lord; then He will bring it to pass- that is His part after you have done yours .
The persons meeting these three requirements, however, live close to God. They live a surrendered and consecrated life, and will desire nothing that God wouldn’t approve of, for they know that as God works through them ” … to will and to do … ” (Philippians 2: 13), the thing desired must come from God. Their only will is to do the will of their heavenly Father.
Many think it irrelevant to pray for temporal needs, but all through the Old and New Testaments are numerous examples of all kinds of needs being supplied in answer to the prayers of God’s children. God never changes, and Jesus Christ is ” … the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Hebrews 13 :8).
A few Bible examples are:
DELIVERANCE FROM PHYSICAL DANGER
The three Hebrew children from the fiery furnace (Daniel 3:27); Daniel from the lion’s den (Danie16:22); David from the paw of the lion and the bear (1 Samuel17:37); Jonah from the belly of the whale (Jonah 2:1-1 0). Other examples are Elijah, for the raising to life of the widow’s son (1 Kings 17:20-23); Hezekiah, being sick unto death, is healed and fifteen years added to his life (2 Kings 20:1-11);Paul, for the healing of Pulius’ father (Acts 28:8); Peter, for the restoration of Dorcas (Acts 9:40); Peter’s deliverance from prison (Acts 12:5-6); Paul and Silas delivered from prison (Acts 16:26).
TEMPORAL NEEDS SUPPLIED
Rain provided when there was a sore famine in the land (1 Kings 18; James 5:17-18); Jesus tells Peter to go and get money from the mouth of the fish to pay their tribute or taxes (Matthew 17:27); clothes were provided that lasted forty years without waxing old for the children of Israel (Deuteronomy 29:5); the Lord commanded the ravens to feed Elijah the Tishbite beside the brook Cherith ( 1 Kings 17: 1-6); the children of lsrael were fed daily with manna from Heaven (Exodus 16:4 ).
PRAYER FOR MATERIAL PROSPERITY
Asa’s army prayed for victory (2 Chronicles 14:11); Abraham prayed for a son, and it came to pass (Genesis 15:1-6); Isaac also prayed for children, and his wife gave birth to twins (Genesis 25:21-23). Hannah prayed for a son (1 Samuel 1:10-11); Zacharias prayed for a son (Luke 1:13); Samson prayed for a drink of water, and God clave a hollow place out of a jawbone, and there water came out (Judges 15:16, 19); Jehoshaphat for protection (2 Chronicles 20:6); Elijah for triumph over Baal(l Kings 18:36-37).
SPIRITUAL NEEDS SUPPLIED
Countless are the prayers for spiritual needs. A few examples are: “… God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13); prayer for spiritual steadfastness (Psalm 119: 133); the church at Jerusalem prayed for guidance and protection (Acts 1 :24,26); Gideon prayed for proof of his call (Judges 6:36-40); Habakkuk prayed for revival (Habakkuk 3); Joshua prayed for mercy and help (Joshua 7:6-9); Manoah prayed for special guidance concerning his child (Judges 13:8,15); Solomon prayed for wisdom (1 Kings 3:6-14); Cornelius prayed for enlightenment (Acts 10:2,30); and many, many others too numerous to mention.
There are several thousand promises in the Bible for God’s children, so why not take advantage of them? If you are not a child of God, then ask Him to save you. Make peace with your Maker, for life is uncertain, but death is sure. Those that trust in the Lord are not confounded (Psalm 22 :5).
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes …” (Proverbs 3:5-7). Remember that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1: 17). Do not forget: you do the trusting, and He will do the working to supply your needs and bring your desires to pass, for He says, “… for without me ye can do nothing” (John 15:5). God specializes in the impossibilities!
The Gospel Standard