Power and Provision

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. - Philippians 4:19

Yesterday, we talked about the first thing Paul tells us to do in Philippians 4 to find total satisfaction in Christ. Today, I want us to look at two more things that Paul not only talks about but exemplifies with the way he lived his life so that we might experience the same contentment he experienced.

The second thing you can do to find total satisfaction is to rely on God’s power in your life. You see, there are a lot of things we all think we can’t do that we can. You need to remember this about the life you live as a follower of Jesus, “The Christian life is not a matter of can or can’t; it is a matter of will or won’t.”

If you know what God wants you to do, He has already given you the power to do it. You can worship God in spirit and in truth. You can serve God in His church and through His church. You can disciple other people and be discipled by other people. You can send and be sent. You can go across the street or around the world and share your faith. You can do anything through Christ that He wants you to do because He strengthens you. You just have to rely on His power.

Finally, the third thing you can do to experience total satisfaction is to reckon on God’s provision to you. Let me ask a simple and somewhat foolish question. “If you knew that if you were living in the will of God, and that God is in control of your life, that you would always be where you should be, do what you should do, and have what you should have, would you then be totally satisfied?” Here is the good news. “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Let me tell you, there are some great promises in the Bible, but I don’t know of a greater promise than this one. If you are living in the center of God’s will, being obedient and faithful to Him, you have every right and reason to expect that any real need you have in your life God is going to meet. Now to be clear, God has promised to supply your needs, not your greed. God has never promised to supply everything we want, but everything that we need.

If there is a real need in your life, God will meet that need. If He hasn’t met that need yet, one of two things is true. Either it is not a true need, or you don’t need it yet. That need may not be met in your way, but it will be met in His. It may not be met in your time, but it will be met in His. He will provide. All you need to do is trust Him.

Dear Lord, thank you for being my source of power and provision. I pray that I would use the power available to me through your Holy Spirit to accomplish your will for my life. And I pray that I would trust you to provide all of my needs as I pursue your will and your plan for me. May I never waver in my faith and trust in you. In Jesus’ name, amen.