Verse: Philippians 4:18-20
18 I have received full payment and have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. 19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Devotion
We all have needs. We need shelter, food, and security. We need love. We need air. We need sports (ok, maybe that’s just some of us).
I want to encourage you to think about this verse for a little bit this morning. Who do you look to, to meet your needs? Let’s specifically talk about emotional needs.
When it comes to feeling loved, feeling secure, feeling unafraid, feeling accepted, or feeling a sense of purpose—we tend to look anywhere else BUT God. Have you ever noticed that? We look to a friend to make us feel accepted. We look to a boyfriend or girlfriend or spouse to make us feel loved or wanted. We look to likes on social media to make us feel good about ourselves. We look to achievement, like grades or promotions, to make us feel like we have purpose.
We look anywhere and everywhere before we look to God. It seems like, sometimes, God is our last ditch effort. It’s like we forget he’s there until we’ve exhausted all other options. But this is backwards, isn’t it? Shouldn’t we be looking to him first?
Why do we do this? For me I think it has to do with control. When I look to God, I can’t control him. I can’t force him to give me what I want, when I want it. I have to trust him. I have to trust his timing (so hard) and trust him to answer with what he thinks I need, instead of what I think I need.
But this verse is an incredible promise. Paul says that God will meet our needs. And this is amazing, because God knows what we need better than we do. So we can trust him!
So that is my encouragement for you today. Let’s start looking to God first. We can also look to friends and loved ones of course, I’m not saying that. I’m just saying, let’s look to God first rather than last (or not at all). And invite him to meet our needs!
Prayer
Jesus I pray that you would meet my needs. I pray that you would draw close to me, in the places where I am hurting, and bring your grace and power and love.
Author: Christian Dunn
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