He Clothes the Lilies

This is my first article here, and I intend to share reflections on the Christian life and whatever else the Spirit brings to my heart and mind. Today I reflect on God’s provisions.

In Matthew 6 and Luke 12, Jesus reminds us not to worry about tomorrow. He says to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteous and that all these earthly concerns will be added unto us.

Moreover He reminds us that He is a good Father Who gives us as we ask. He says so the Lord gives the Holy Spirit to all who ask. It would take great lengths to unpack these statements. But I want to emphasize one thing today- yielding to the Holy Spirit.

Jesus is not saying that our Father is at our beckoning call to lavish us with whatever we ask. He’s a good Father and knows what we need fundamentally. Oftentimes the need is not as obvious as it would appear. Spiritual needs frequently masquerade as physical or circumstantial needs.

When we ask anything of the Lord, we do so believing in- knowing- that He is a kind and affectionate Father Who desires our blessing. He desires to mold us into the image of His dear Son, and He sanctifies us amidst the vulnerabilities of life in the flesh to transform us into better imitators of our Lord.

Jesus says to ask for the daily bread. He Himself is the Bread of Life. If we eat of It, we will never hunger again. At all times and in any moment, we need the Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit Who bears witness to the Son Who always does the will of the Father. We are to abide in Christ as He abides in the Father.

It is from this position that we knock at the door that is then opened, that we seek and then find, and that we ask and then receive. It is from this place of childlike faith that our Lord provides as a good Heavenly Father both naturally and supernaturally.

I was recently amidst some unexpected family turmoil, and this stretched our family financially. There were many ways God could have provided. And I almost even had a big win on an investment I chose not to enter. I asked God why He chose not to provide by such means, and He said He was doing a different thing.

He provided for us suddenly and generously four separate ways in a matter of days- all unexpected. And I didn’t have to worry about the missed opportunity, because my Father showed me He had a different plan for this moment.

Jesus reminds us that He feeds both the birds and the lilies. The birds work for their food, gathering the food that God provides. The lilies wait expectantly each morning for the dew. So it is with us.

The Lord provides through our efforts and in spite of them. We walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. We walk by faith and not by sight. Sometimes the Lord will guide us in life in ways that seem illogical in the natural. Sometimes He will guide us to faithfully gather and plow. Sometimes He will call us to do something that stretches our natural and financial capacity.

But we do not ever need to strive. We labor to enter the rest of Jesus Christ. His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

It has been said that to heed the Holy Spirit, we must be like a leaf in the wind. We do not always know or perceive the movement of the Spirit, as Jesus told Nicodemus. He will give us dreams and visions for the future, but the process is guided by Him. So we must take each day to rest in Him and be lead and purified by Him in obedience as we discover His will.

Whatever you are facing, invite the Lord to search you out and to sanctify you. Whatever He has called you to or whatever dream He has given you, surrender it to Him and walk in faith.

It is in that tension of stepping into mysterious paths in increasing obedience to God- like Abraham who left without knowing where he was going- that we find the most spectacular and miraculous provisions. It is from this place of surrender and obedience that we can ask and receive!

Be faithful in the waiting and do not settle for less than what God has helped you to dream, but know that promotion comes from the Lord.

Know that there is a time of maturation and sanctification that He must carry out in us to prepare us for the Promised Lands. May we be as Israel following the Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night- receiving the quail and manna and water brooks in the desert. Wait on the Lord and He will lead you what to do in the waiting. And He will provide- often different than the time before.