Trusting God's Provision | Qualities of Women Who Trust Jesus
“The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” — Psalm 145:15-16
It’s hard to believe that once upon a time, cell phones weren’t part of daily life, but it’s true. In 1996, texting wasn’t a thing, so my best friend and I relied on the most common form of communication among teenagers at the time: writing notes to each other in class. We went through a phase where we signed all of our notes with 8.20.2000— our secret code.
Like most teen girls, I suppose, we were bewitched by the concepts of love and marriage, and would dream of our future love stories and wedding days. At the time, I had a major crush on a super cute boy. So, like any best friend would do, Beth looked up all the Saturday dates in the summer of the year 2000 so we could make plans for me to marry my crush at the ripe old age of 20. (I just have to say that we looked up the Saturday dates of 4 years in the future without the help of the internet, which—ya know— shows our dedication!) August 20th was my favorite one, so that became our thing.
What I didn’t realize as a teenager was that God was already at work behind the scenes in my life. He was organizing and arranging. Designing a plan and implementing it expertly to provide for me what I deeply desired: a lifelong partner. Looking back, I can appreciate the beauty of the waiting period, but it wasn’t easy in the moment. My naive heart was eager, desperate even, to be known and loved, protected and cherished by a man, but the Lord knew that I needed time to mature and develop before I would be ready for married life.
In any given season of life, we’re looking to God to provide something— granted, some seasons are more pressing than others. What season are you currently in?
You may be experiencing critical financial or material needs, desperately looking to God to provide the basics of life.
You may be experiencing mental or emotional distress, desperately looking to God for relief and well-being.
You may be experiencing a sense of urgency— that there’s something different or more for you in the near future, but you need God to provide guidance.
You may be caring for an elderly parent or a child with special needs, and you fiercely need God to provide endurance.
It’s important to reflect on what it is we need from God. Identify it, name it. He wants us to ask Him. Jesus was very clear about this when He taught us to “ask and it will be given; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-11) As we take time to think about our needs this week and bring them to God, let’s remember three things from Psalm 145:15-16.
God is a conscientious provider. He’s thoughtful about what we need and diligent to supply. “The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food …” (v. 15).
God is a caring provider. Like a loving father, He gives us what we need, but He also cares about what we want. “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” (v. 16).
God is a careful provider. He works with precision in the way He provides. He may not operate according to our timeline, but we trust that He knows better. Just because He lets us get uncomfortable doesn’t mean He’s forgotten us. On the contrary, we can be sure He will provide “at the proper time” (v. 15).
As the Lord would have it, my best friend and I were only 15 days off in our prediction. On August 5, 2000, at the ripe old age of 20, I married the very same crush from 1996 (and he’s still super cute!). Here’s the thing, though. The road from girlfriend to wife was not without bumps, and I truly didn’t know at the time if things would work out the way I hoped.
Despite what our circumstances, emotions and thoughts try to tell us, we are not forgotten along the way. There are seasons during the journey when our needs feel overwhelming and God feels far away, but we are not destitute or without hope. We are dignified women with a powerful Father who uses the needs in our lives to strengthen our relationship with Him. We are provided for!
BONUS: Keep Scrolling for 5 DAYS of Journal Prompts!
For Your Journal [Day 1]
Find It:
In this portion of your journal, write out a Bible verse. You can find a verse that fits a current life situation or use the one we used in today’s devotion.
“The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.” — Psalm 145:15-16
Fix It:
In this portion of your journal, pull out a few key words from the verse you chose above, or summarize the verse in your own words. Write it in pretty lettering or sketch something that will help you visualize the meaning of the verse and fix it in your mind. Repeat these words to yourself throughout the week to remind you of the truth contained in the scripture. Here are some options:
I Look to You
Open Your Hand
[Sketch an open hand] Click here for a tutorial
Feel It:
In this portion of your journal, write out a prayer. The goal is to absorb the meaning of the Bible passage and let it take root in your heart. Ask the Lord to let his word change you by the power of his Spirit so that you begin to feel like the new person you’re becoming in Christ. Surrender any areas of your life that you are trying to control.
Dear Jesus, help me to trust that you will provide for my needs. Thank you for Psalm 145, which reminds me that you supply what I need just at the right time. Thank you that you care about my desires, too, and are working behind the scenes to satisfy them. I realize that I do a lot of hoping, a lot of wishful thinking, and a lot of talking with other people about the things I want, but I don’t go directly to you quickly enough. May my trust in you grow and my love for you strengthen as I look to you only for provision. Amen.
After completing the journal prompts above for Day 1, use the next section to continue meditating on God as your Provider for Days 2-5.
Day 2
FIND IT: Rewrite Psalm 145:15-16
FIX IT: Sketch something to remind you what these verses mean or write out 2-5 key words. (They can be the same ones as yesterday…maybe on a sticky note for your desk or mirror)
FEEL IT: Think of a time in your past when you felt desperate for God to provide for you. Write a few sentences (or paragraphs!) about that time in your life and how God came through.
Day 3
FIND IT: Rewrite Psalm 145:15-16
FIX IT: Keep working to fix the meaning of this verse in your mind. Add to your sketches or rewrite 2-5 key words.
FEEL IT: Review the scenario you wrote about yesterday, then create a 2-column box on the next page of your journal. The heading on the left column will be: How I Expected God to Provide. The heading on the right column will be: How God Actually Provided. Fill in the chart and reflect on the differences between your plan and God’s plan.
Day 4
FIND IT: Rewrite Psalm 145:15-16 (How much can you write without looking?)
FIX IT: Keep working to fix the meaning of this verse in your mind. Add to your sketches or rewrite 2-5 key words.
FEEL IT: Set a timer for 5 minutes and list as many areas of need in your life as you can think of. Identify the ones that are the most pressing by circling them. Pause to read Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:7-11, then ask Him out loud for provision. Write a portion of your prayer in your journal.
Day 5
FIND IT: Rewrite Psalm 145:15-16 (Do you have it memorized by now?)
FIX IT: Keep working to fix the meaning of this verse in your mind. Add to your sketches or rewrite 2-5 key words in various places around your home.
FEEL IT: Take a quiet moment to pray for God’s provision in your life, specifically for the things you wrote down in your journal yesterday. Remember the caring, careful provider that God is and be encouraged. Ask the Lord to put someone on your heart who needs to hear this verse today. Write out the scripture and a few encouraging words to your friend, either through text or in a handwritten note.