I’m in the habit, at the end of my work day, to stop for a beverage on my way home. When I’m working at the office, there’s a little gas-station shop right down the street that I like to stop at, and there is almost invariably someone there, at the end of their day, buying lottery tickets. It generally takes them a bit longer to pick what kind of tickets they want, or choose their numbers than it does for me to buy a coffee or tea, or I probably would never notice them; but as it is, the delay gets me to thinking, why do these people play the lottery at all? They likely all have hopes and dreams for a windfall, and daydream about what they would do if they won big, even if they are well aware how slim their chances of actually winning are. Like the NY Lottery Commission likes to advertise, “Hey, you never know.”
Which sometimes gets me thinking, what would I do if I suddenly found myself with a large sum of money to my name?
Nowadays, the very first thing that springs to mind is I would quit my job, and use the freshly released time to re-train myself for another career. I’d certainly also donate a fair amount to the Lord’s work, and depending how big the payout was, maybe buy a home. There have even been a few times, when running such possibilities through my mind, that I was tempted to buy a few tickets myself. After all, what would it hurt if I only spent my pocket money? I have no fear of developing a gambling problem, and my money is carefully budgeted … when it’s out, it’s out, and I simply don’t buy anything else until my budget allows more. So I wouldn’t suddenly be impoverishing myself, or doing without something like groceries. Worst case, I’d miss a coffee or two, and I could probably stand to do that anyway.
And whenever that kind of thought crosses my mind, another follows close after: the harm is, by buying a lottery ticket, I would be declaring that I don’t really trust God to give me what I need to do His will. I’m saying that what I have isn’t enough, and what I can earn by the strength God has given me isn’t enough. There may be some who can honestly say to themselves, “this is just another way of God providing, if it should ever happen,” but I’m not one of those people. For me it would plainly be something more like, “Lord, you just aren’t coming through for me in this, so do you mind a little help?” And the Lord doesn’t need any help with providing.
The scriptures are very clear about that. Consider what Christ said in Luke 12:21-32:
“Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 29 “And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.”
We have a loving God, one who cared enough to send His Son to die for us. He certainly knows our needs, and He is more than able to provide for them. Our difficulties mainly occur when we make up our minds just exactly how God ought to provide for us … and then, if we are strictly honest with ourselves, we get nervous that He might have other ideas. But what does verse 31 in the passage above say? If we seek His kingdom first, that is, we seek His will and seek to advance the purposes of His kingdom here on earth, the other needs will take care of themselves. That doesn’t mean we’ll (necessarily) hit the lottery if we are short on grocery money. We might instead find the supply in the form of a gift, or an unexpected bonus … or any number of things. He never promised us wealth, just supply. The missionary Hudson Taylor once said, no doubt thinking of this very passage, said “God’s work, done God’s way, will never lack God’s supply.” And God’s work doesn’t not just include missions, evangelism, and ministry; it includes your own perfection as a child of God: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them,” (Eph. 2:10); and “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight,” ( Col 1:21-22).
The other thing to remember is this does not only apply to money, food and shelter; but to health and circumstances as well. I spent most of the month of July in 2013 being ill, from bronchitis to sinus infections, to pneumonia and a 48-hour hospital stay. During much of that time, I chafed at not feeling well enough to perform my normal activities, and not even having a clear enough head to pray or meditate properly. At one point, I couldn’t pray at all … but I found I could sing hymns to myself, and it was a great comfort. But what could possibly be God’s point in allowing that? There was no unconfessed sin I was secretly and unrepentantly harboring; I didn’t feel through any of it that God was trying to grab my attention and pull me in another direction (in fact, I was too muzzy for that anyway). I don’t know why God let me get sick. But I have to trust He had reasons. I may discover them someday, or maybe I never will. But, as Job said, in the book bearing his name, Job 13:15a, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
But my last point is this: if you can trust that God will supply what you need to accomplish His purposes, then what you have is what you need, and when you do need more you will get it … and probably, not before you need it. You might need to learn how to deal with uncomfortable circumstances. You might need to learn how to get out of those circumstances in a godly way. You might even need a windfall … but if we accept and trust we truly are God’s workmanship, and His goal is to perfect us, we have to trust that whatever it is we need, He will provide it when it’s needed.
And that is the real meaning of trust. It’s the ability to confidently go through life, knowing that no matter what happens, you are in the hands of a loving God, and He will supply your needs. It’s the assurance that if you are going through bad times, they are necessary either for your correction (Heb. 12:6) or for you growth (2 Cor. 4:11), or simply to glorify God (John 9:3). It means, like the hymn says, “Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well, with my soul,” simply because you trust Him.