Trusting Divine Provision

 When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. Matthew 10:19-20

In this passage from Matthew, Jesus talks to his disciples about how to handle persecution. He tells them they do not need to prepare what they will say – how they will defend themselves – ahead of time, for that guidance will be provided to them at the necessary time. The consequences of persecution in Jesus’ day were dire, compared to what most of us experience today, at least in the West. In Jesus’ day, persecution for unacceptable beliefs or behaviors could lead to a wretched death, as evidenced by Jesus’ crucifixion.

Jesus frequently warns against worrying about future events. For example, in Luke 12:22, he says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear.” He emphasizes that life is much more than the things about which we worry. Worry is always future-oriented, but life only occurs in the present moment. It is not that food, clothing, shelter, and our responses to others are not important, but that it is God who assures the meeting of our needs as the needs arise. Jesus reminds us that God knows our needs. We become anxious when we suspect we might need something in the future and fret because we do not have it now. In the context of persecution, why waste time and energy formulating a response before we know a response will even be required? We only get caught up an a whirlpool of negative thoughts and emotions that have no substance.

Jesus seems to be saying that worrying about a possible future need is like praying with one eye open – it is evidence of our lack of faith and trust in God’s provision. What you are to say will be given to you at that time. Why? Because it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. God lives and works in and through us in all circumstances. We cannot keep one eye focused on God while the other gazes into the future. It is not that Jesus discourages us from planning for the future; rather, Jesus tells us not worry about the future. Worry helps nothing. We have everything we need in any given moment, which should reassure us that we will have whatever we need in our future moments. We absolutely should select a path to follow into the future, understanding that all paths are fraught with difficulty and uncertainty. The future, however, is never in doubt, even though it may not unfold as we envision.

It is a natural tendency for us to want to be in control and plan for future eventualities. Unfortunately (or fortunately), we are not in control. In fact, I think anytime we try to be overly controlling, the universe objects and arranges something to show us how little control we actually have over events. Obsessing over the future only removes us from the present moment, which is the only place we can actually find joy. There are few savings accounts large enough to pay for a serious health crisis; there are few homes strong enough to survive a direct hit from a tornado; no one is safe from a terrorist attack anywhere on earth. Far from a license to live recklessly or with no thought of the future, the reality is that life sometimes brings unexpected and unplanned-for disasters, and God can be trusted for the recovery from those disasters, large and small. In the Lord’s Prayer, we ask for our “daily bread.” We do not ask for tomorrow’s bread until tomorrow.

When we live our lives as if we are praying with one eye open, we live without faith in God’s provision for our needs at the time of the need. Jesus assures us that God can be trusted to provide – maybe not in the manner or time-frame we desire, but God will provide. We can close both eyes, relax, enter the moment, and trust the Divine provision. Admittedly, however, not to pray with one eye open – hedging our bets against God’s provision – is easier to say than to do.

This is the 2^nd in the series of Life Notes titled, Praying With One Eye Open.

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