Psalm 63:1 “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.”
Have you ever had to push a car to the gas station? My father-in-law once had a bus load of kids he was driving and fondly tells the story of running out of gas as the bus entered his small town. As they came to a traffic light he recalls the light turning green just as he approached the intersection and he was able to drift the bus right into a gas station without incident. Whether it’s the need for fuel in cars or our bodies need for water, it seems everything needs to be filled with something.
For those who do not know Christ, they are like a car running on empty.
The benefits that come with knowing Christ are for those who are His and He reminds them of His providence and supply. There have been times when God’s people are in need but forget to approach the Lord. Knowing where to find your provision is to recognize that Jesus does the filling—-seeking elsewhere shows that your faith is in something else.
“Before we pray that God would fill us, I believe we ought to pray Him to empty us.”
-D.L. Moody, Secret Power
The manner in which we approach God is as important as having right expectations.
The Lord will supply His people with everything they need, but are they ready for what He wants to give them? Could it be that what God wants to give His people is actually what they need and not necessarily what they want?
I believe God’s supply is directly correlated to what He has planned for those who follow Him.
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
Consider the Israelites when they were wandering in the desert…
As the Lord led the people from Egypt to the promised land, He sustained them with food, water, and protection. Leading millions of people across a desert leads to all sorts of supply problems, and without the proper provisions the people would have surely perished, but the Lord has a way of dealing with every problem perfectly. When the people needed food, God provided heavenly food called ‘manna’, it fell each night and was good only for the day, if people tried hoarding it, it would spoil.
The Lord gave His people what they needed at the moment because He wanted them to trust Him for their provision each day.
The Bread of Life
Matthew 6:8-11 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread…
God’s supply is meant to sustain His people now. He gives what is necessary, as it is needed, and if there is a need tomorrow, He will take care of it then.
What God wants is for His people to trust Him.
The way trust is made evident is by the manner in which the faithful walk with God. Righteousness isn’t a suggestion, it is an expectation. To walk with God is to live according to His standard of righteousness and His standard is made evident by His moral law. The 10 commandments are not an outdated list of rules that served only the Israelites in the desert, they form the basis of God’s character revealed to mankind and what it looks like to live like His people.
Isaiah 33:15,16 “He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
He who despises the gain of oppressions,
Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes,
Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:
He will dwell on high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;
Bread will be given him,
His water will be sure.”
How are you sustained?
As the body requires food (bread), so our spirit requires spiritual food to survive. If we don’t take in the necessary spiritual sustenance to grow and be strengthened, we will grow weak and defenseless.
There are different sources of life by which God gives us bread but ultimately, the Bread of life comes from Jesus. Those who forsake Jesus as their Lord and Savior, forsake all that is necessary for growth in God’s Kingdom.
John 6:35 “And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
Springs of Water
Equally as important as the Bread of life, is the water of life. People can fast from food because of the fat stored up in their body, water on the other hand is not as readily stored and must be replenished much sooner.
As Jesus is our manna from Heaven each day, He is likewise our source of life giving water.
John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
What does it cost you for the bread and water of life?
Nothing……and yet it requires everything.
The price was already paid by the life that Jesus gave for you—it cost Him his life. All He asks now is that you follow Him, let Him sustain you, let His life giving Spirit fill your life and trust Him for your provision.
Isaiah 55:1 “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost!”
The cost of God’s bread and water is more valuable than gold, receive it and you will never be the same again, you will never hunger or thirst spiritually again.
His promises never fail.
Isaiah 58:11 “The LORD will always guide you; He will satisfy you in a sun-scorched land and strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”
There are many ways the world has tried to mimic the life giving hope that only Jesus can provide. Go to the source of life and you will save your life, seek your fulfillment anywhere else and you will remain empty and hopeless.
The answer has always been Jesus.
U.T. 