What Does God 'taking care of His Children Look Like?'

I’m often asked, with all my pantry building, if I feel like God wants us to just back off and depend on Him to take care of us and provide what we need. 

Does all my pantry building fly in the face of God?  Is it sending the message that I’m not dependent upon Him?

Does the fact that the Bible assures us that God ‘takes care of His children’ mean we can sit back and do nothing and expect God to provide our needs?

That’s quite an inquiry and one that needs closer scrutiny.

In my opinion, God does make a way for His children but I firmly believe that God expects us to do what we can … notice I said, what we can … not what we can’t.

To use the idea that ‘God will take care of you so you don’t need to do anything’ goes against Bible teachings such as  …

II Thessalonians 3:10 …  For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either.

And ...

Proverbs 6:6-8 … Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest.

Both of these verses either directly or indirectly imply work on our behalves.  God wants us to work!

It also goes against common sense, for example, if one truly believes that God will take care of one’s needs without needing to do anything, then why have a job?  Why plant a garden, shop for sales or any of the other things that one does to make a living, stretch monies and provide for their family?

I continually pray for God to prepare us for what the future holds physically, mentally and spiritually.  I also pray for an attitude that recognizes God as the Great Provider.  I am dependent upon God pure and simple, but I don’t expect God to hand me everything on a silver platter.   According to the Scriptures above, expecting God to hand me everything on a silver platter is not biblical.  My motto is, ‘work like it all depends on me and pray like it all depends on God, because it does!’

So, what does God ‘taking care of His children’ look like?  Here are some of the ways He ‘takes care’ of us:  (You may have a totally different list!)

I asked God to provide what we will need, so when …

I find a good sale on something we use/eat and I have the funds to stock up, I do it. To me that’s God providing.

 When someone offers to let us glean their crops for free, we do it.  To me that’s God providing.

 When our garden produces and produces and produces, I preserve it.  To me that’s God providing.

When I am given surplus produce etc, I preserve it.  To me that’s God providing.

I work hard to preserve what God provides and to be a good steward of what He blesses us with. We give God credit for what we have and are very much aware that we are very dependent upon Him.

We were talking about Noah in a Bible class at church a few weeks ago and one of the things that was brought out was that in Genesis 6:21 God told Noah to gather and store food in the Ark … 'As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.' Did you get that??? God didn't say do nothing; I'll make sure you have food. No, He told Noah to 'gather food for you and them (them being the animals) and store it on the ark!!! Noah had a part to do!!! Genesis 6:22 tells us that 'thus Noah did according to all that God had commanded him, so he did!

Could God have provided everything that Noah and the animals needed without Noah’s help, absolutely!  But that’s not the way He chose for Noah!

Does the fact that God ‘takes care of His children’ mean we can sit back, do nothing and expect God to provide our needs?

That’s not the example God’s Word gives or teaches!

Patsi 

Sharing 42 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

A Working Pantry

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine 

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

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