God cares for His people – We are in His hands

(Philippians 4:14-23)

As we come to a close on this study in Philippians, I am looking at the last few verses of this book.

One thing jumps out at me in these words. It is the fact that God cares for His people.

So let us take some time to examine this matter as we close the chapter on the book of Philippians.

God cares for His people

We see this sentiment particularly in verse 19, which says.

”And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)

Paul tells us that God will supply EVERY need we may have in these words. If we need food, clothing, shelter, friendship, wisdom, knowledge, insight, or anything else God will supply it.

This is not a new idea as this has been stated over and over in the Bible. God supplies our needs because God cares for His people.

If we go back to the words of Jesus in the sermon on the mount, we see this same sentiment given there.

7 “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:7-11)

All we need to do is to ask, seek and knock on the Lord’s door and He will give us what we need. All of our needs can and will be met by the Lord.

And in these words above we see an even greater promise. We see the promise of abundance in God’s giving to His people. Jesus said, “How much MORE will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” (Verse 11 – my emphasis)

He will give more than we even ask for because God cares for His people. God does not want to see His people in want or in need or suffering for lack of the things they need. He wants His people to have an abundance.

This is NOT about physical wealth

There are many preachers who speak about an abundance ministry in terms of physical wealth. They say that if you are not being blessed financially then there is something wrong with your faith. This is the essence of the “prosperity gospel” that is rampant in many churches today.

And it is a lie.

God does not promise physical wealth anywhere in the Bible. Nor does He promise divine health, which is another aspect of the abundance ministry and the prosperity gospel. Perfect health is also a lie.

In fact, the Bible teaches that those who seek wealth in this age are in a slippery place. There are so many scriptures that cry out against this modern philosophy in the church that you wonder how so many people have missed it. Especially the preachers and teachers of these false doctrines.

God cares for His people and has promised we will always have enough to sustain our lives.

But the REAL abundance in the Lord for those who follow Him is in the abundance of life. He promises eternal life to those who seek Him. He promises and abundance of insight, knowledge and understanding to those who seek it from Him. And when we do seek these things, He provides them and that is the real blessing.

Wealth, money and riches are shaky at the best of times. They can be here today and gone tomorrow. And your wealth will not save you.

Look at the situation with Coronavirus or COVID-19 racing through the world. Does it discriminate between the rich and the poor? Does it stop at the door of the rich and go no further? Can anyone avoid it by being wealthy?

Of course not! This pestilence and disease attacks indiscriminately and doesn’t care about the size of your bank balance.

So if your wealth cannot save you from a physical ailment, how little can it do to save you from a God who says, “…it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:24).

Also, how can money save you from a God who says, “…the love of money is the root of all evils” (1 Timothy 6:10)

And there are many more scriptures telling us that seeking money or wealth is really at odds with the ways of the Lord.

So clearly when God speaks of an abundance, He is not talking about buckets of money, unlike the thrust of the prosperity gospel preachers ministries.

God cares for His people and He knows that having a lot of money is a hindrance. People get weighed down by wealth, trying to hold onto it and trying to make more. Their focus is on the things of the world rather than the things of God. That is why money is unimportant to God and those who seek wealth.

And I should add, the size of your bank balance does NOT give an indication of the strength of your faith, as some preachers have taught!

Getting your priorities right

So, knowing that God cares for His people, what is it that is important, both to Him and to us.

He tells us not to be anxious and to seek the things of the Kingdom as our first priority. And this comes with a promise.

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day. (Matthew 6:31-34)

Here is one of the most significant expressions of hoe God cares for His people. And you see it even more strongly when you read the scriptures immediately preceding these verses.

God is saying here that He knows we need all of the things to sustain life: food, clothing, drink, and so on.

But what He says here is that these should NOT be our primary focus. We should NOT spend our time and energy seeking the things of the flesh. Instead, we should seek the things of the Spirit as our first priority.

Verse 33 says it best. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”

What a fantastic promise! When we seek the kingdom of God as our first priority, rather than the things of this world, then God ensures we will have those things as well.

And I think Solomon said it best when he wrote:

Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, “Who is the Lord?” or lest I be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God. (Proverbs 30:8-9)

God cares for His people so we do not need great wealth, only that He provides what we need.

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