When my daughter was younger, there was a predictable routine every time there was a thunderstorm at night. I’d wake to the sound of thunder and see the hall light turn on. Then my daughter would appear in the doorway and crawl in bed next to me until the storm had passed. 

Back then (and even today), my daughter didn’t want to be alone when she was scared. Her dolls and stuffed animals couldn’t provide the comfort she needed, and not even her beloved dog was sufficient. She sought comfort in the presence of those who love her and knew what she needed. 

I’ve tried to teach my daughter to turn to the Lord when she’s afraid—and not just so she’d start sleeping in her own bed through a thunderstorm. I love comforting her when I can, but I know there will be times when life is hard and I’m not just down the hallway. I want her to learn that there is One who loves her even more than I do. Her Heavenly Father is always with her.  

“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10)

This month as we’ve studied God’s provision, we’ve seen how God provides for our needs, gives wisdom, and equips us. But best of all, He provides His presence. 

In this psalm, David used extremes to make the point that God is present everywhere we go. He is always with us, and He is always holding and guiding us. Every decision we wrestle with, He will lead us. Every storm we endure, He will hold us. 

No matter how far we go or how difficult our trials become, we are never left on our own. Our faithful Father is always with us. 

No matter what you face this week, God provides His unfailing presence. 

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Several years ago, I stared out the window on a Saturday morning, sipping coffee and enjoying the early morning quiet of a house filled with my sleeping family. The silence was broken by a sound I interpreted at first to be my children jumping up and down upstairs. As the house shook, the waves of realization came slowly across my slightly-caffeinated brain: an earthquake. 

I had no idea where I should be or what I should do. I live in Arkansas, not California! Was I supposed to bring everyone downstairs to a bathroom, like in a tornado? Get everyone out of the house like in a fire? Get under a desk or into a doorway? Thankfully, the earthquake ended by the time I gathered my confused, bleary-eyed family, and we were fine. 

After we settled down, I was struck by how unprepared I was. When the unexpected happens, we often find ourselves feeling scared, confused, or even frantic. Life is happening, and we need to act or respond, but we have no clue what to do. 

This month we’re studying God’s provision. We’ve seen how He supplies all our needs and generously gives us wisdom. He also prepares us for every task He calls us to do. 

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

In the verses right before this one, Paul explained how God provided for us in salvation. (Go read Ephesians 2:1-9 – they’re great verses!) We were incapable of saving ourselves, and God intervened with His mercy and grace. Paul made it clear that we are not saved by our good works but we are saved by the gift of God’s grace. 

As those who have been saved by grace, we do good works out of gratitude for our salvation. And just like God didn’t leave us on our own to earn our salvation, He doesn’t leave us to tackle the good works by ourselves. He prepares good works for us to do and prepares us to do that work. We can trust Him to perfectly equip us for all that He calls us to do. 

No matter what you face this week, God has prepared you for this, because you are His workmanship. 

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Few things in life have driven me to the Lord in prayer more regularly than parenting teens. Parenting has never been easy. But it feels like the older my kids get, the less I know. The articles and books I read overwhelm me as I realize that every teen is different, every school is different, every situation is different. 

I have no idea how to do this. 

I wish parenting were my only area of confusion. I’ve got other questions: How do I decide which opportunities to pursue and how to spend my time? What’s the best way to encourage my husband when he faces challenges at work? How do I talk to my kids about current events and the brokenness of our culture? How do I support a friend who’s going through a difficult situation? 

Maybe you have tough questions, too. Here’s the good news: God has all wisdom, and He generously shares it when we ask Him. 

 “For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.” (Proverbs 2:6-8)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” (James 1:5)

In James 1, the context is James’s writing about how God’s people respond to suffering. Those difficult circumstances are when we’re most likely to throw up our hands and admit, “I have no idea what to do!” 

In those moments, James exhorts us to ask God for wisdom. When we do, He will give generously and without reproach. He won’t roll His eyes or sigh that we’re asking again. He loves to answer our prayers for wisdom, because they demonstrate our dependence and trust in Him. 

Like we saw last week, God’s supply of wisdom will never run out. He knows the hearts of our loved ones. He knows our circumstances. He knows what’s best for us. He knows it all, and He promises to generously give us the wisdom we need when we ask Him. 

No matter what you face this week, God will give the wisdom you need. 

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I’m wearing my Geek Badge proudly as I confess to you: I loved packing my kids’ backpacks for the first day of school. Sadly, they pack their own now, but I just loved the shiny folders. The unmarred notebooks. The textbooks just begging to be cracked open. And the spotless pencil box, filled with perfectly sharpened pencils, a clean glue stick, and every single one of the 24 crayons boxed in perfect order.

It never took long the backpack scene to descend into chaos, but on that first day, I was confident that my children had everything they needed. I love this new-pencil feeling because it feels good to have what you need. To have the confidence that no matter what you face, you are prepared.

If only I had this confidence every day. Instead, I look at my to-do list or my calendar, and I wonder, Do I have what I need to do this? Do I have enough time? Energy? The knowledge or skill I need to finish these tasks?  Some days I’m not so sure my mental and physical supplies will be sufficient.

Maybe you’re wondering, too. What are you facing this week? What do you need?

Philippians 4:19 promises we always have what we need: “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

In this passage, Paul thanked the Philippians for their financial support. He reassured them that he had all that he needed, and he was just as confident that they would have all they needed. Why was Paul so confident? Because the One who supplies our needs does so from His “riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

We know that God can easily meet all our needs without ever being depleted, because His riches in glory are infinite. We also know that He will meet all our needs because He has already provided for our greatest need—our need for redemption—by giving His Son for us.

This month we will look at verses about God’s provision. He not only provides for our salvation and our physical needs, but He also gives us wisdom, equips us for every task, and provides His unfailing presence. I hope we’ll be encouraged that His riches are sufficient for our every need.

No matter what you face this week, God will supply every need. 

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