The supply of all our needs
And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen (Philippians 4:19-20).
Early in the 20th century, two brothers decided to emigrate to America. It took them a long time to save the money for the tickets, but the day came when they embarked on the journey across the Atlantic Ocean with great excitement. They took provisions with them and made them last for the whole of the crossing. The night before they landed in New York, they decided to go to the restaurant and buy a meal. At the entrance they asked the man at the door how much a meal would cost. The man asked for their tickets. They produced them. He inspected the tickets and, returning them, said, “All your meals are included on your ticket!” They had travelled the whole of the journey and not realised everything they needed was provided. The brother who recounted this story was making the point that we often go through our lives not taking full advantage of what Paul writes in Philippians 4:19: “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
If we were not told, we would never guess as we read Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon that Paul was imprisoned. There was no sense of confinement as he wrote of Christ’s love in Ephesians; Christ’s joy in Philippians; Christ’s glory in Colossians and Christ’s forgiveness in Philemon. His ministry is so full of the Person of Christ and His riches in glory. He did not say God would supply all the needs of the saints in Philippi but, “My God shall supply…” He wrote about something he was in the enjoyment of, and that he wanted all the people of God to enjoy. David wrote at the beginning of Psalm 23:
The Lord is My shepherd; I shall not want.
He added in v. 5:
My cup runs over.
God’s grace and mercy abounds towards us in Christ. I think, if we could have visited Paul in prison, we would have come away with our hearts lifted up to Christ in glory and our faith energised to serve Him on earth.
In the Old Testament, Joseph endured enormous suffering. During his time in prison he served Pharaoh’s cupbearer and butler. The morning after their strange dreams, Joseph says to them, “Why do you look so sad today?” (Genesis 40:7). Incredibly Joseph, despite his suffering, lived so cheerfully through his imprisonment and also recognised and ministered to the distress of others. Why? Because God was with him. God was with Paul in prison. This transformed his circumstances. Paul did not look inward. Twenty years earlier, God had used Paul’s imprisonment in Philippi to form the assembly there. He never ceased wanting them to know the wonder of their every need being supplied by God in Christ. And as he encouraged them in this, his imprisonment could not prevent his heart soaring in worship.
Our two friends never read their tickets! Let us not arrive in heaven the same way. Let us not miss the joyful experience of walking with the Lord, knowing day by day the wonder of the riches of His grace, the supply of every need and the joy of worship.
“Now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
