God Delights In Your Participation In His Provision by Rob Haynes

Have you ever considered how amazing it is that God asks his people to participate in the work of the Kingdom? He doesn’t need our help. He could do it without us. So why would he ask flawed and broken people to join in? Wouldn’t it be easier if God just handled it all on his own? Scripture tells us that there is something more going on than merely finishing the job. Let me illustrate.

My wife and I have two adult children. When they were younger one of our favorite things to do with them was to ask them to help us in the kitchen. They particularly liked it when we asked them to make something sweet, like chocolate chip cookies. The smiles on their faces and the smells of those treats baking in the oven are some of our fondest memories.

We did not need their help to do the baking. We were certainly capable of completing the task without them. In fact, it was not efficient, it took more time, and it was much messier when they were “working” with us. However, we were delighted when they came alongside us to join in the process. It was extra special when we took the products of our kitchen work to a family member, friend, or neighbor who needed a little pick me up. The joy was evident in both the receiver and the giver.

I suspect that God looks upon our efforts for the sake of His Kingdom in the same way I looked at my young children with pride. God is up to something all the time. He is working to set things right, to reconcile, to heal, to make things new. He could do it on his own. He could drop something out of the sky and set things as they should be. But he doesn’t. He calls people to come alongside Him in the work He is doing in the world. It is frequently messy, inefficient, and doesn’t always go the way we had it planned. However, this truth remains: God enjoys your participation in His Provision for others.

Paul writes about this when he tells the church in Corinth that when the people there would give generously to the poor elsewhere God will be praised, God will be pleased, and God will provide for every need for both the giver and the receiver. (See 2 Corinthians 9:6-15) The image we are given is of a farmer scattering seed. The seed grows into much more than the small things planted into the ground. Rather, it grows into a plant that produces abundant fruit for eating, oxygen to nourish, and new seeds to repeat the process over and over again. 

Paul tells us that God gives us resources to use them for His purposes for the Kingdom here on Earth and in Heaven. Like that farmer, when we share what God has entrusted to us, He uses them for things far beyond what they were when they were in our care. The time we have to use the material things of this life is short. Investing them for eternity is the only way to use them properly. Consider a few accounts from Scripture.

When the Israelites left slavery in Egypt, they took clothing, gold, and silver from the Egyptians as they departed. In the account in Exodus 12, we see that “The Lord caused the Egyptians to look favorably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for.” (see verses 35, 36) The people who had been enslaved for generations, who knew no wealth for themselves, were leaving Egypt loaded down with all sorts of treasures. I can almost see them walking with an awe and wonder at their tremendous wealth.

However, the Lord did not intend for them to keep it. We see in Exodus 25 that they are to bring metals, clothing, gems, and other fine goods to the craftsmen who will use them to build the tabernacle and all the furnishings. Certainly, God who dwelt in the Tabernacle could have built it Himself. Yet he asked the Israelites to participate in its supply and its construction. He did so for His glory and joy. Like a parent asking a child to help in the kitchen he invited them into the process.

The times when Jesus fed the masses in the gospel accounts are parallel to this, in many ways. Jesus, who walked on water, healed people, raised the dead, and turned water into wine certainly could have fed the 4,000 and the 5,000 (men, plus women and children). However, he receives with joy an offering of a few fishes and a few loaves of bread from a young boy. Everyone and their fill and there were leftovers aplenty.

It is remarkable to consider all the ways in which people were blessed by the ministry that occurred at the tabernacle. This was the center of all religious life for the people. It was there that God encountered people in life-giving ministry. The gifts of the faithful were no small part in that. It is also remarkable to consider the scores of people on the shores of the Sea of Galilee who stood in awe at the way Jesus met their physical and spiritual needs because of a gift that looked meager by many standards. Though they may not have known it at the time, the recipients of those gifts were counting on the giver.

God continues to call his people to use the gifts he gives to bless others. It may be a physical gift, it may be a word of encouragement, a kindness to a stranger, or any number of things. Do it because God delights in inviting you to participate in the work. Don’t do it to try to treat God like a vending machine, i.e. Don’t do it because it only makes you feel good or you’re trying to manipulate God into blessing you. Do it because God delights in your faithfulness in His work. Take the benefits He gives and enjoy them. He’s glad to give them to you. Remember: God enjoys your participation in His Provision for others.