God Sight

In Philippians 4:6, the apostle Paul wrote, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."  Thirteen verses later in his epistle,  he boldly proclaims the outcome of such trust: "...my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." (V. 19).

And yet, in-between those verses, Paul said that he had "learned the secret of being content in any circumstance," including being hungry or in want.  So what gives?  Is he saying God will meet all our needs or not?  He is indeed.

However, he is not saying that God will meet all our wants or keep us in comfort and safety every moment of our lives. In fact, difficulties or trials can sometimes be exactly what we need.  As James, the brother of Jesus, wrote, "Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds as they work to bring about perseverance that you may be complete,not lacking anything" (James 1:2-4). 

We tend to see things in the here and now, with the most painful or urgent as having the most value. However, urgent does not equate with important and pain does not equal loss.  A telephone ring is urgent but so often not important at all. A workout in a gym may be very painful but ends in gain not loss. 

We tend to see things from the very limited perspective of time, while God's vantage point is eternity. Let me give you an example of this difference. Suppose you were on your way to an important meeting and a tire blows out. Is that a gain or a loss?  From the perspective of the here and now, it is a loss. However, what if, after you changed the tire and continued down the road, you came upon a multi-car pile up in which several people were killed?  Was your flat really a minus or a plus?

We can't know the final reality of a circumstance but God does.  Question is, "Do we trust him?"  Jus' Askn.