A Prayer of Thankfulness for God’s Provision
By: Emily Rose Massey
“And my God will supply [o]all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be the glory [p]forever and ever. Amen” - Philippians 4:19-20.
My husband and I had very different religious upbringings as Christians, especially regarding our view of finances. To put it simply, my husband was taught that if you did not tithe and/or give an offering you were cursed, according to Malachi 3:9. What we didn’t know at the time is that this verse is often misused and misapplied.
Malachi 3:9 is a descriptive text about the children of Israel, not a prescriptive text for all believers. Yet, because of this twisted teaching, we continued to give our finances out of a heart of fear of what God would do if we did not, instead of out of a heart of pure generosity.
We were also concerned about what type of harvest we would receive from the money we had sown. We were constantly battling a selfish mentality- giving to get back in return. No matter the reason, our view on tithing and giving was completely legalistic, and it lacked genuine love, grace, and mercy.
Then one day, God illuminated His Word to us about true generosity. We began to see His great provision and grace supplied to us, no matter we what did or did not give in the offering bucket. Our eyes were opened to His Truth and we stopped believing lies that we both embraced for so many years. The Holy Spirit helped us understand these Bible verses regarding finances in context to what they really mean so that we were no longer living in fear from a legalistic view of tithing and giving. Verses like Philippians 4:19-20. The apostle Paul was thanking the church at Philippi for their great generosity towards him, while encouraging them that God would be generous toward them where Paul could not:
“And my God will supply [o]all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 20 Now to our God and Father be the glory [p]forever and ever. Amen” (Philippians 4:19-20, NASB).
Because our eyes were on the great sacrifice of Christ on the cross, this completely changed our view of God the Father and His amazing provision and grace. It truly transformed our faith and trust in God, especially believing He will always provide for His children! Just like we cannot work or strive to earn our salvation, we cannot work or strive to earn God’s provision either. He’s a good Father who longs to provide and care for His children’s needs. He is a giver and we long to be generous just like our Heavenly Dad!
Let’s pray a thankful prayer now for God’s generous provision for our every need:
Heavenly Father,
I repent for not trusting You to provide for my every need. You did not withhold even Your Son, and I believe that You do not withhold any good thing from me. I also repent for thinking that somehow Your provision is determined by how much I give financially.
I receive Your free grace and gift of salvation as well as Your constant provision for my life. I will choose to be content in all that I have as well as be generous to others when I have more than I need. Thank You for Your love. Help me to be more generous and gracious like You.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Emily Massey began writing short stories and poetry as a little girl, entered the blogging world in her early 20s, and published her first book in 2015. She enjoys being a stay-at-home momma while still being able to pursue her passion as a writer. Believing she has been forgiven much, she loves much, and desires to point others to Christ and His redemptive and transforming power, especially by sharing truth found in God’s written word. If you would like to connect with Emily, you can visit www.emilyrosemassey.com.
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Originally published Tuesday, 13 July 2021.
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