113. Can I expect God to meet my needs?

God is your Heavenly Father and you can expect Him to provide everything that is needed for your life, spiritually, physically, mentally and emotionally. ‘Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ‘Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!’ So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets’ (Matthew 7:7–11).

The Genesis account of creation shows God’s love and care for the needs of mankind. God created the animal, bird, fish and plant kingdoms before He created mankind (read Genesis chapters 1-3). Then after God created mankind He commanded them to be fruitful and multiply, and exercise dominion over everything he had created. The provision He had made in creation of everything man needed to prosper and multiply shows God’s intention to be the ‘Provider’ of all of mankind’s needs. God would have been sadistic if He had commanded mankind to multiply and in doing so Mankind had starved to death for want of food and shelter. God shows His fatherly caring love for mankind by His abundant provision in creation. The ancient Israelites recognised God’s role as their ‘Provider’, and gave Him the name of ‘Jehovah Jireh’ meaning the ‘Lord God the Provider.’