Giving Thanks to the Giver
On this Thanksgiving day, we worship Christ for the riches of his glory, grace, and provision, adopting a spirit of contentment as we trust in the goodness and timing of our Lord.
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, NIV).
Have you ever needed something? All people have the same basic needs like food, water, clothing, and shelter. God knows all of our basic needs, and He even knows our personal, specific desires. The Bible says that God will provide for all of our needs, and that is very good news!
However, it is important for us to understand how God provides for us.
Sometimes, God meets our needs in ways we don’t expect Him to. He doesn’t always give us what we think we need the most (a new toy, a new job, healing, etc.), because He knows what is best for us. God knows the best thing we could ever do is praise Him, give Him glory, love Him above all else, and know Him more through His Son, Jesus Christ.
If it ever seems like God is not giving you what you really think you need, you can trust that He is not keeping good things from you. Remember, He cares for you (Psalm 84:11). If you don’t have it right now, it means you don’t need it right now! Sometimes God will give you just what you expected of Him. Other times, God provides in His own unique way.
Here are some of the ways God gives good things to His children:
God gives us faith (Rom. 12:3).
God gives us peace in difficult circumstances (Phil. 4:7).
God gives us joy in His presence (Psalm 16:11).
God gives us hope when nothing seems to be going right (1 Peter 1:3-5).
God gives us the ability to love and be merciful (Luke 6:35-36).
God gives us the strength to endure tough situations (Phil. 4:13)
Most importantly, God has given us Jesus as the best gift of all (Rom.
6:23)! When God gave Jesus to the world, He gave us the gift of Himself! Through Jesus He gives us forgiveness of sins, an abundant life here on earth and an eternal life in heaven.
When you are in need of something, ask God to show you how He is making provision for you. Then praise Him for being such a good God!
Answer these questions as a family:
How have you seen God provide for our family?
What is a need our family has right now?
Why is it important to trust God to provide for us instead of depending on
others or ourselves?
Why are things like faith, peace, joy, and hope the best kinds of
provisions God can give us?
Vanessa Ortiz disciples her 5 daughters and 1 son with her husband, Noe, in Houston, Texas where they serve the least of these for the glory of Christ.
