Depending on God

When we trust God to provide, we are also submitting to His choice of what’s important.  It’s like trusting our parents with our money.  When we have to ask them for money, we also are placing ourselves under their judgment of what is important.  If we have a separate bank account, we don’t have to run our purchases by them, because it’s our money to do with it what we will.  They don’t have to give their blessing or even their approval.

I think that the same thing can be said of our dependence on God.  When we can say “I earned this,” we feel that we have the right to tell God, you can’t stop me from buying this house/this car/this TV/this coffee.  It’s our money and we can spend it how we like.  From a missionary perspective, it is very clear how everything I have is “from God’s hand,” and in light of that, I feel like I have a real responsibility before God and before my supporters to spend it wisely.  I truly believe that is one of the roadblocks to people who are considering missions.  I can even say that personally.  I have thought before that it would just be really nice to have a job where I could get a paycheck for the work that I do, then tithe and feel like I have done all that I should in regards to my finances … without worrying about whether it or not I it is legitimate to spend the remaining money on a new shirt.  Or to have to pray that God would provide me with money for a plane ticket to visit my friends.  Those are the requests that you feel a little foolish about when you take them to God.  Maybe this is shallow, but I don’t have the resources to bypass the God component. 

It’s like asking your parents if they can buy you a pair of earrings.  You don’t really need them… but if you had the money you would just buy them for yourself… but you don’t have the money and you kind of want them.  That being said, I have noticed that it is my good parents’ pleasure to provide for me not only what I most need, but also what I want.  They are wise, but they are also generous.  So, no, they wouldn’t give me something that would jeopardize me, but they are willing to give me things that seems silly, just because I asked.

As I wrestle through this personally, I wonder what you think of our dependence on God.  Is it something that you think about often?  Do you see God as your provider or yourself?  Or your employer?  Food for thought.  J