He will provide all things

Many times, we have worried about the basic needs of life. Whenever we experience the lack of food, clothing, shelter among other basic necessities in life, we tend to worry about how to get these things. Homelessness and its attendant issues can sometimes be traced to the lack of basic necessities of life. What do you do when you wake up to find that there is nothing to eat, drink, wear and you stand the chance of being evicted from your house? These things as basic as they are can cause one to lose focus in life. It is important we do our best to provide our basic needs in life, but we shouldn’t miss the fact that sometimes life can present unexpected turns of events.

In His popular sermon on the mountain, Jesus addressed this issue of dealing with the basic necessities of life. He said in Matthew ̈6:25‬ that “Therefore I tell you, 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?” Jesus knew that the basic needs of life can cause worry and He therefore appealed to His listeners not to allow the lack of clothes, food and drink to cause them worry. Jesus’ reason is this:
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?” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:26‭-‬30‬).

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭6:33‬)

Worrying doesn’t add anything to our lives, it rather takes away our time, energy and even our vigor. Our lack of things should not open us up for pain and shame. According to Jesus, we shouldn’t 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. ‭‭(Matthew‬ ‭6:31‭-‬32‬). Life is more precious than these things. There is a better approach according to Jesus and that is to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:33‬). Thus, if our lives are lived on the mantra of “God first” in everything, God shall provide for us the things we need in life. He will always bring helpers our way. He will provide us with the basic necessities of life and we shall not be at the mercy of worry. Sometimes, our real worry is not about the fact that we don’t have these basic needs.

Our real worry is about the desire to have what others have and be at par with them. Our real worry mostly centers on our wants, not our needs. It is not worth it crushing our brains because we want to wear purple dresses but we have blue dresses. These are things unbelievers struggle with in life. We should be content with what the Lord graciously provides for us each day.

Finding rest in the shadow of the Almighty

Shelter is a basic human need. In fact, whenever,  someone is without a home, or refuses to go back home but stays in the street, such person is tagged “homeless”. The state of being homeless is not a desirable state. Imagine sleeping in the street in harsh winter? Your guess is as good as mine. No one should be homeless because the state of homelessness is unpleasant. However, since the fall of humanity, we cannot control what others do and the consequences of it. There are different government and charitable organizations that offer places of Shelter to people who are homeless. These places are stocked with basic provisions to make living pleasant, safe, comfortable and healthy. Whenever someone runs to a Shelter they find rest from their weariness. How about finding resting God?

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalms 91:1)

If Shelters created by government and charitable organizations are able to provide some sort of temporary solution to weariness and homelessness, imagine what happens if we seek shelter in the Lord. For example, in Jonah 4:6, Jonah was provided shelter by God: “Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant.” Shelter provides shade, comfort, saves one from the heat of the sun and the tempers of the rain. If we make the presence of the Most High our habitation, we find rest in Him and His shadow provides shade. The shelter of the Almighty provides a quiet place for our souls. There is peace from the cares of the world. There is comfort from the pains of the world. There is love, hope, peace and joy in the shadow of the Almighty. There is security and providence in the shadow of the Almighty. In fact, there is blessedness in dwelling in the shelter of the Almighty. 

When we understand that dwelling in the shelter of the Almighty is not just an option but the option for a fulfilled Christian life, we will do all we can to dwell in the shelter of the Almighty. Everyone can claim to love God but not everyone dwells in His shelter. Many people are living in temporary shelters because they cannot keep up with the implications of living in the shelter of the Almighty. There are principles we might follow when we dwell in the shelter of the Almighty. If we want to benefit from all that the Almighty gives to those dwelling in His shelter, we must stay on His course. We should make a decision that we are not turning back to Iive anyhow. We should make the word of God our basic checkpoint and we should be intentional about dwelling in the shelter of the Almighty. 

When we make God our shelter, He becomes our shade and defense. We can then read Psalms 91 with certainty and hope.

“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked. If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (Psalms 91:1‭-‬16)