God: The Provider
“The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing.” -Psalm 145:15-16
When David says, “the eyes of all wait upon thee…” he was referring to all creatures, both man and beast: everyone–either directly or indirectly–looks to God for their provision.
And consider how marvelously God provides for all creatures, starting with plants and animals: for thousands of years, this delicate balance of life has been sustained by God’s hand.
He sends the rains to nourish the plants, and the sunshine to help them grow.
For the animals, God gives them all food from His vast bank of resources: there is no “supermarket” for the animals to go to, they are all fed by the fore-planning and goodness of God.
Also, beyond food, God commanded the animals to reproduce, and he provides the mates for all living creatures. Since it is God’s will that they multiply, He is also responsible for providing the means for them to do so. “And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth” (Genesis 1:22).
From God’s hand, the needs of every creature on earth are met. As the psalmist has said in the verses above, “Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16).
And if it is so with the animals, how much more will God satisfy our needs, being the very children of God? Yet, it is all in God’s timing, and His will.
The lamb, if he is meant to feed during the day, does not get up during the night and say, “I’m hungry now! I will not wait until the day, I’ll eat what I want, when I want.” Neither would an obviously young and immature animal be expected to mate and reproduce at such an early age. But in all things, God knows the very best for everything and everyone.
“Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” -Matthew 6:26
Yet the only addendum to all of this is that when God truly does give us something, it is also our responsibility to go out and get it. While it’s true that we are to have patience and wait upon God, it’s also true that when the time does come, we are to do our own part with God.
“That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.” -Psalm 104:28
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