2 Corinthians 9:6-8
Trust in God can be expressed through faithfully waiting on God. But it is not only expressed through waiting. An abundance of trust in the Lord will also at times overflow into an abundance of hard work as you passionately pursue the good things he has called you to pursue in faith.
Sometimes our waiting is not an expression of trust but an expression of doubt. We sometimes fear that even if we tried to pursue what we needed, God would not provide it, and thus we just sit still because we doubt our efforts would even matter.
So here are 3 signs God is saying, “I will provide it if you trust me enough to pursue it.”
1. If You Have a Good Material Need That Is Required for a Healthy Life, God Is Saying, “I Will Provide It If You Trust Me Enough to Pursue It”
I must be honest. This point scares me a bit because the last thing I want to do is preach a prosperity gospel. But in our conservative minds, we can be so afraid of promoting the false prosperity gospel that we actually end up promoting the equally false poverty gospel.
I would not be comfortable telling you that if you pursue the basic necessities of life in a godly way that the Lord will provide this for you unless the Bible clearly said this – which it does! As much as it can frighten us to promise material blessings on God’s behalf, we have to be careful our fears do not tempt us to diminish the powerful promises of provision found in God’s word. For example:
- Psalm 37:25-26, “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously, and his children become a blessing.”
- Matthew 7:11, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
- Matthew 6:31-33, “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Certainly the sin in this world causes provisions to be hoarded; some people in the world are truly oppressed so that even when they want to work hard they still do not have enough. Ultimately these verses promising material provisions will be fulfilled in eternity for those who are saved by grace.
But even on earth, the principle remains that if you have a need for a material thing that is a necessity for a healthy life, God is calling you to trust him so much that it causes you to pursue this thing you need with an abundance of energy, eagerly expecting our lavish God to provide for you. As Matthew 6:11 states, “Give us this day our daily bread . . . .”
2. If You Desire Something Good That Can Only Be Produced Through God’s Power to Multiply Your Spiritual Investments, This Is a Sign God Is Telling You to Pursue This So He Can Provide It
Perhaps you are single now but you imagine being a grandparent 50 years from now. Perhaps you are having relationship problems that you know cannot be solved in a moment but will take years to work out but you still what this relationship to work nonetheless. Or perhaps you are making minimum wage right now but you dream of owning your own house one day so you can provide well for your family.
These are good things that God won’t just give you all at once. These are what I call “spiritual investment goals.” You don’t just go from being single to a loving grandparent. There is 50 years of relationship investments that need to occur for this to happen. You don’t just go from having a dysfunctional relationship on the brink of collapsing to instantly having a thriving relationship built on a firm foundation. That takes a lot of deconstructing and reconstructing, which takes lots of time and effort. You don’t just go from being a minimum wage worker to the CEO of the company. That takes decades of faithfully working and bettering your skill sets.
But even with the hard work, you need God to make the seeds grow. Financial investments take time to mature, and the same is true of spiritual investments. One example of this can be found when Paul was speaking to the Philippians about their financial support of his ministry. In Philippians 4:17 he said, “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that increases to your credit.” Paul knew that their financial investment in his ministry would result in spiritual fruit that would keep on growing in their spiritual bank account.
Paul knew that it was wise of them to use their material possessions on kingdom focused investments because God will always provide for those who have faith in him. This is why Paul then said in Philippians 4:19-20, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen.”
If you have a good spiritual goal to receive something biblical but this thing is so far a way that it seems unachievable, God could be telling you “I will provide it if you trust me enough to pursue it.”
3. If You Desire to Bring Huge Amounts of Glory to God Through Personal Sacrifice, This Is a Sign God Is Telling You to Pursue This So He Can Provide It
Maybe you have a dream of bringing God lots of glory through your future marriage. Perhaps you have a longing to bring God glory through parenting children one day. Or perhaps you have a strong call to glorify God in a particular career or ministry. If this relates to you, remember 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 (NIV), which states:
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
You don’t have a lack because God is not able. That is never the reason for why you don’t have something. God is always able. Therefore, if you desire something that will bring God glory, he could be telling you, “I will provide it if you trust me enough to pursue it.”
You may also enjoy my article called 3 Signs God Will Bless You If You Just Keep Patiently Waiting.
