Last week, we began a new series on 'Purpose and Finances' when we looked at Paul's words that he had learned how to be content with a lot or a little. Why would God permit there to be a little, when He promises abundance and a land flowing with milk and honey? We see the answer to that question in Deuteronomy:
"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your ancestors had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you" (Deuteronomy 8:2-5).
Yes, it's true that God will bless you but to ensure that money doesn't corrupt or even ruin you, He will humble you. How will He humble you? He will do so by allowing you to go hungry at times. You won't starve, but you may not always know where your next meal or rent payment is coming from. And then He may feed you with "manna," in some way or from a source that isn't His usual channel of provision for you. Why? So you will know that He is your source and not your own abilities.
I look back on my more than fifty years of serving the Lord, and I can identify many up-and-down seasons where money is concerned. And there were more than a few times where I thought for sure I knew how God was going to provide or who He was going to use to do so, only to have Him surprise me not with His provision, but with how it came. On each occasion, it was to help me keep my focus on Him and not my degrees, my gifts, my ministry, or my knowledge. And sometimes it was to help me make a transition to a new place where He wanted me to express my purpose.
We'll see throughout this series that God isn't limited to provide for you through your inheritance or your workplace or your family or any of the usual means. In fact, He seems to delight in providing in ways you don't expect or can't anticipate. According to Deuteronomy, He does this to see what is in your heart and to discipline or train you to keep your eyes on Him and not on your source. There's more in this passage that we will look at in the coming weeks, but for now, it's enough to know that there will financial seasons as you serve God through your creative purpose. They are all part of His plan to teach and develop you.
What season of finances are you in at present? Do you have abundance, lack, or just enough? How are you handing the season you are in? Complacency? Fear? Panic? Anxiety? Rest? Yes, you can learn to rest and find peace in any and all financial seasons, just like Paul did, confident that God is watching and won't let starve. However, you will learn that He won't necessarily provide for you in ways you know or according to your timetable. More on this next week.
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