He Is Our Provider

He has provided food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. —Psalm 111:5

When I was growing up, Christ was first in our home. My father talked little about the business and much about Jesus. He recognized God as the source of every material blessing. He taught me to look to the Lord as my Provider. And he taught that we are as utterly dependent on God to provide when we have a regular, substantial income as when we have no visible means of support.

My dad acknowledged God’s right to give and to take away material blessings. This is the reason he was able to be as grateful and content in times of material loss as in times of tremendous gain. I remember one twelve-month period during which our home was destroyed in a fire, my mother almost died because of a massive brain tumor, and my dad lost many millions of dollars in far less time than it took to accumulate it. In all those months his faith, joy, and serenity were never diminished because he recognized and trusted the sovereignty of God.