But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. – Matthew 6:33, King James Version (KJV)

I love it when the Lord demonstrates His ability to provide for all of our needs.

I have two friends, whom I’ll call Jack and Jill, who were worried about paying for their kids to go to Christian school next year. Jill is currently working and going to college, but next semester’s college regimen will require that she quit her job. Without her income to pay for Christian school tuition, they simply didn’t know what to do.

Jack recently took a short-term mission trip to China. Shortly after returning to work, his boss pulled him aside and said, “Jack, we didn’t realize how much you meant to our company until you were gone on your trip. We struggled to get by without you! So, we’ve decided to give you a $6,000/year raise.”

Cha-ching! Next year’s Christian school bill is paid for!

Jack never asked for a raise. Jack never threatened to leave the company if he didn’t receive more pay. He simply did his job day in and day out in service to His Lord, and then he took a step of obedience by serving the Lord via the short-term mission trip to China. By obeying their Lord, and by prayerfully asking God to supply all of their needs, Jack and Jill experienced once again (This isn’t the first time God has blessed them with miraculous provision!) the truth of Matthew 6:25-34: God will supply your needs if you will but seek His will first and foremost in your life.

Sadly, most of us can’t handle the truth. Thinking that “if it’s going to be, it’s up to me,” we act as if God has no part in our daily provision. We struggle, we strive, and we worry about our daily bread, missing the truth that God can and will provide for us, if we will but trust Him to do so.

Are we to sit around and do nothing while we await God’s provision? No. God rewards diligence and punishes laziness. But, diligent action rooted in trust in God’s provision brings heart peace. Diligent action without trust in God’s provision brings stress and worry. The former is the better way to live. The latter is, unfortunately, how most of us live.

How would you prefer to live? Maybe better said, who do you prefer to trust?