Thank you, God, for meeting ALL our needs

And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.  --Philippians 4:19

God has impressed me with one simple prayer, one that I have prayed multiple times a day for the last six weeks.  The simple prayer is this:  "Thank you, God, for meeting all our needs."  This one simple statement has made me more aware of His blessings every day.  Not only has it increased my thankfulness as I am more aware of what He does for me every minute of every day, but repeating this simple truth has, I believe, increased the blessings in my life.

It is my confession of Him.

Repeating this statement multiple times each day has made me more aware of God's goodness.  Isaiah 40:28 says, "Have you not known?  Have you not heard?  The Lord is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.  He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable."  He wants us to be taken care of.  His desire is that we look to Him for everything.  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5-6).  God specifically told His people, the children of Israel, "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11).

You may be thinking, "There is too much tragedy in my life right now, too much debt.  I don't feel very prosperous or hopeful."  If you are a Christian, I would humbly suggest that you are focusing too much on events, or people, or circumstances.  Instead of looking at our problems, we should be looking to Jesus.  Remember Simon Peter, who was in a boat in the middle of a storm when he saw Jesus walking on the water.  He called out to Jesus, and ignored the wind and the waves.  Jesus told him to get out of the boat, and for a few brief moments Peter walked on the water, just like Jesus did.  However, when he took his eyes off Jesus, and saw the winds and the waves, he began to sink.  At that point he called to the Savior, and Jesus reached out and helped him into the boat.  After that, the storm was calmed.  The winds died down, the waves became less fearful and foreboding, when Jesus got into the boat with them.

An Old Testament example is from the book of Job.  In a series of freak accidents, Job lost his wealth, he lost his family, and he lost his health.  Messengers watched him after bringing the bad news to him, to see his reaction.  Job fell on the ground and literally worshipped God.  "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I shall return there.  The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord." (Job 1:21).  God is God, whether I am prosperous and happy or not.  Realizing this truth allows us to have joy in living, even when tragedy strikes.

It is my submission to Him.

Praying this simple statement every day has made me more aware of God's soveriegnty.  St. Augustine said, "You have made us for Yourself, and our hearts are restless til they find their rest in You."  God gave us rules to follow, not because He is mean, and not so we can be legalistic and have a "holier-than-thou" attitude of prideful boasting.  Rather, He gave us rules to remind us that He is sufficient for us.

Look at the Ten Commandments.  We are commanded to have no other gods because He is able to meet all our needs--He doesn't need any help from any other god.  He told us not to make any graven image or idol because the icon or idol will take our attention away from Him, the sole provider of all we need.  He told us not to take His name in vain so that we would not trivialize Him, or make His Name common--His Name is not just another word in our vocabulary; it is a source of power and provision.  We are commanded to keep the Sabbath in order to keep Him uppermost in our minds.  He told us to honor our parents, because He gave them to us as an example of Himself, for our provision and protection.

He told us not to murder another person because He alone is worthy.  Killing another person is taking upon ourselves the rights and position of God.  Are we seeking vengeance?  "Vengeance is mine, says the Lord."  Do we kill to obtain another's possessions?  Then we do not trust God to provide.  Whatever motive there is for murder, it is a denial of God's ability or willingness to give us what we need.  Think about it.

We are forbidden to participate in adultery (and this would include fornication--sex before marriage--as well as pornography) because He is faithful.  Proverbs 5:15 says, "Drink water from your own cistern, and fresh water from your own well."  A cistern collects rain water; a well taps an underground source.  God provides them both.  In the same way, God has blessed you (if you are married) with one spouse.  Treasure her (or him) as a blessing from heaven (like rain).  Shun all other water sources, as they may be brackish, or salty, or full of disease.  If you feel like the "rainwater" is stale, go deeper in your relationship and discover your spouse's Source of their blessing.

We are commanded not to steal, because taking someone else's things makes us reliant upon ourselves and not upon God for His provision.  We are told not to bear false witness against our neighbor, because lying is again putting our trust in ourselves rather than in the truth of God.  We are told not to covet our neighbor's possessions or spouse, because in so doing we are not trusting God for our own provision.

It is my identification with Him.

If I am a Christian, then I identify myself with Christ.  Jesus prayed early and often during His ministry here on earth.  The disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, and He gave them the Model Prayer.  We identify with Jesus by calling God our Father.  We follow His example when we hallow the Name of the Lord.

When we say, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done," we are putting our faith into words.  We are citizens of His kingdom, and He is our King.  We serve Him alone, because we know that "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow." (James 1:17).  He is faithful.

When we say, "Give us this day our daily bread," we are admitting that He alone can meet all of our needs.  There is no other interpretation of this verse.  He is our source, and we should come to Him daily to ask for our portion.  We should come to Him more often than that, even.

This is why I have been praying, "Thank you, God, for meeting our needs," multiple times a day for the last few weeks.  It has worked so well, I think that I will continue the practice.

Blessings.