Praying For Needs

Praying for Needs

This same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

WHEN WE SATURATE OUR LIVES IN PRAYER, certain themes appear in our prayers again and again—physical and spiritual needs, protection and provision, healed and deepening relationships, growth and fruitfulness, and much, much more. In fact, there is hardly any limit to what we can pray for. And there is hardly any limit to God’s promises. He covers every area of our lives with assurances of his care.

Of all of God’s promises for provision, his promises to take care of our basic needs are perhaps easiest for us to understand and believe. Jesus told his followers not to worry because God cares for them like he cares for the lilies of the field and the birds of the air (Matthew 6:25-34). David said he had never seen the godly abandoned or their children begging for food (Psalm 37:25). There were times when God’s people were living in rebellion and suffered extreme lack, but his promises to the faithful—and even the somewhat faithful—have always been emphatic. “Those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing” (Psalm 34:10).

Still, we face job loss, market downturns, and other crises with trepidation. How are we going to pay our rent or mortgage? How will we feed ourselves? What if we’re late with our bills? These questions linger and fester because most of us are well aware that we are living above subsistence level. Deep down, we know that maintaining our current lifestyle is a first world problem and that our survival needs are usually covered. Does God define our next-level concerns—this home, this neighborhood, these clothes—as needs? We hope so. But we aren’t sure, and fear creeps in.

In certain situations, God’s people have gone through the leanest of times and come out with testimonies of his provision. But his promises apply beyond the “just barely” provision of extreme circumstances. Though he doesn’t guarantee a certain standard of living, he is gracious with our concerns and obligations. He defines need much more generously than our fears might assume. We can trust him in any situation. We can always pray with confidence for his provision.

You will never need more than God can supply.