The Lord provides

Have you ever thought about what we must sound like to God sometimes? We always seem to have something we need from him. We have daily needs, wants, and an ever-present anxiety about the unknown future.

It’s easy to imagine that our constant stream of worries would be exhausting for God to deal with. But that perspective is really just a reflection of our own limitations. I might find others’ needs annoying, but God isn’t like me. He is the Creator, and I am his creation. He is the source of absolutely everything, and my very existence is intrinsically dependent on him. It’s a fundamental reality that he is the all-sufficient source, and his creation exists by his creative act and his ongoing sustaining power.

I’m the cup with holes in the bottom, needing constant refilling. He is the spring of water, constantly flowing. It’s not only okay that I am needy—I am designed to be. And God delights in being the one who meets those needs and then receives the praise for it.

As missionaries, we experience God’s provision routinely. My last full-time paid job was in 2010. For 14 years now, God has provided all the funds we’ve needed to live and work. Building a house in the jungle with materials delivered by helicopter? He provided enough. Finding €5,000 for flights back to Europe? He provided enough.

You’d think after all that experience, we wouldn’t still be anxious about upcoming needs. But every new challenge feels a little different. This time, we wanted to rent a place in my hometown of Bracknell for six months to reconnect with friends and family. We started looking months ago, but nothing was available for the time we needed. When properties finally came on the market, landlords weren’t interested in our short-term stay. We put in offer after offer, only to be turned down every time.

We are eager for a break and a time to refresh ourselves in the UK, but we also didn’t want to stay for a full year. We are so close to presenting the Gospel to the Kovol people and were keen to get back as soon as we could.

Other options did come up. God’s people are kind, and we received three offers of accommodation elsewhere in the UK. We had to ask ourselves: was this God’s provision for us, or did trusting him mean waiting for a place in Bracknell? With such a short stay, we didn’t want to start over somewhere new. We also wanted our visits with family and our church in Bracknell to feel like home, not one-off visits from afar. Were we being foolish to turn down these offers and wait?

With just a few weeks left before our planned return to the UK, we had no leads. Every email and call to estate agents had gone nowhere. It was then that I read this passage from Matthew one morning:

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 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 after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” — Matthew 6:25-33 (ESV)

I asked myself what this meant for me that day. Was the right question, “Should I call more estate agents?” No, Jesus says very clearly that the takeaway is not to be anxious. That was my application. My focus wasn’t on the next step I would take to find a house; my focus was on not being anxious. The text says there’s a heavenly Father, and he provides. Anxiety simply isn’t appropriate for disciples of Jesus.

A few days later, we found ourselves at NTM’s refresher course in Germany. It’s a week-long reunion and a chance for fun and fellowship with other missionaries. We reconnected with friends from our training and even caught up with some from PNG whom we hadn’t seen in three years.

During our report, I mentioned our need for a place to stay in the UK. A friend prayed for us, and the next day, I received an email out of the blue. A supporter mentioned that their church in Binfield (right next to Bracknell) had a three-bedroom house next to their church building that might be available for us.

This was a clear answer to prayer. After inquiring, we’re all set to move there in two weeks. Not only is it a perfect place to stay, but also we aren’t tied into a long rental contract so we can return to PNG when we’re ready. The church also wanted to bless us as gospel workers and offered the house for half of the market value rent. In addition, we were offered a suitable car. In just one week, our place to live and our transport were sorted!

We are amazed at how quickly things turned around. This is God at work. There were no miracles here—everything has a natural explanation—but we clearly see God’s hand orchestrating it all. “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” We’ll add this act of provision to our growing list, and maybe, just maybe, we’ll continue to learn not to be anxious. God cares for us. That thought alone is enough to take the edge off our fears.

This isn’t a particularly exciting story. We needed a place to live, and we found it. In many ways, that makes it even more important to tell. God provides for the everyday needs of his people. My anxious heart heard God’s word, chose to trust him, and then saw how he provided. It’s not a dramatic tale, but it’s another step on my journey of experiencing God’s care for me. After all, that is what he made me for: to receive his love and care, which then overflows in joy and praise.