The Lord Provides

Dear Members and Friends of St. John,

It is a statement of faith on the lips of God’s people that “The Lord provides.”  Our God freely gives what we need to live.  He provides help in time of need.  The Lord is generous with forgiveness and salvation to people who are sinful and lost without His mercy.  “The Lord provides.”  But, you know as well as I do that it is one thing to speak these words of faith, and another thing to actually trust God’s providing. It is one thing to say, “The Lord provides,” but another thing to live out that faith and that trust. 

I feel a need to share with you God’s provision of the last week or two.  On Wednesday, June 7, as I was preparing for worship I wondered who would play piano for worship that night.  Our normal musician, Sara, was out of town.  I had also received a message that one of our other musicians, Kimberly, could not play the following week.  (Now I realize I did not totally understand that message.)  I called Melanie who plays the piano for worship to see if she was playing that evening.  Melanie told me she hadn’t been contacted and wasn’t planning to play.  However, Melanie said she would call Lorraine and see if she was playing.  We have held worship before with only my loud voice leading the singing, but a piano is soooo much better than my singing.  At one point, however, I was preparing for worship without instrumental leadership.  So, what happened on Wednesday evening?  Both Kimberly (whom Sara had called) and Lorraine (whom Melanie had called) showed up ready to play.  Instead of one musician, or none, we had TWO.  “The Lord provides!”

On Saturday, June 10, St. John again offered a free picnic for the people of Palmer after the Colony Days Parade.  The last couple of years we have fed about 1500 people.  We thought were ready.  All the food was arranged for and purchased.  Volunteers were lined up to cook and to serve, to set up and to take down.  Publicity was printed in the local newspaper.  We were expecting another big crowd, somewhat contingent on the weather.  Then on the Thursday, before the picnic, we had a surprise.  The grill we have used for 10 years to cook the hamburgers and hot dogs for the picnic, and which we were planning to use again this year, was no longer available.  How do you cook for 1500 people without a grill, a LARGE grill?  Ron Svedin who had previously provided the grill frantically looked for another.  But Ron and Ann Marie were leaving town on Thursday night at the birth of a new grandbaby.  As he left town Ron thought he had some possibilities lined up, but was not sure.  So, the pastor and cooks were scrambling for other options.  However, on Friday, instead of one large grill, or none (what a disaster that would be), we had TWO large grills shared with St. John by local businesses.  “The Lord provides!”

This year my wife and I had a personal example of God’s provision.  I plant a garden every year.  The last few years, with warm Spring-times, I had planted around the middle of May.  This year with a busy schedule, and the cold, and the wind, and the rain, I did not get to plant until June 4.  Yet, on Saturday, June 3, Kathy and I had a pleasant surprise.  Last year’s spinach had gone to seed at the end of the year.  So, on Saturday, before I plowed the garden with the roto-tiller, I picked “volunteer” spinach – 2 sinks full.  This was young, tender, tasty spinach.  What great salads it made!  I didn’t plant this spinach, but we did harvest and eat it.  We saw this healthy and tasty food as a gift from God.  I called it the “firstfruits” because it came before anything else was even planted.  “The Lord provides!”

There is a principal called “firstfuits giving” in Christian stewardship, Christian management of the resources the Lord gives us.  In the Old Testament the people were commanded to take from the first crop that came up each year and give an offering to the Lord.  Now, after a long winter since the previous year’s harvest, food stores might be low.  The first fruits of the field would provide for the farmer until the main crop was harvested.  But what if the main crop was a failure?  The farmer did still have the first fruits to live on.  Yet, God’s people were told to give from this precious resource to the Lord.  We read in Deuteronomy 26:2, “take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name.”   (Also read, Exodus 23:19, Deuteronomy 26:8-10, Proverbs 3:9, etc.)

What this sacrificial offering did was teach the people of God that “The Lord provides!”  When they gave from this precious first harvest they had to trust God would provide the rest of what they needed.  And God did provide.  However, this offering did more than just grow faith that God provides what His people need.  Ultimately, learning that God provides in all situations of life also led the people to love the Lord.

God continues to call His people today to give to His work with cheerful, proportionate, sacrificial, first fruits offering.  The main reason for this giving is not, first of all, to provide for the work of the Lord.  Though, such offerings are part of God’s plan to share His love.  Offerings from God’s people, first of all, teach faith that God does provide, and such offerings also help us to love Him.

Life is full of trials and times that our resources do not seem to meet what we need to face our difficulties and failures.  But, the Lord does provide.  Ultimately, God provides His own Son!  As we are told in Romans 8,

“31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32)

I pray that you may see the providing hand of the Lord in your life.  I pray that you may grow in faith and love for God.  And I pray that you may respond to the grace of God with gifts of faith which share God’s providing and saving love with others.

A Child of God, Thankful for the Provision of God’s Love,

Pastor Jonathan

P.S.  Here are some pictures from our baptisms Sunday.

• Noah France, son of Danny and McKenna France.  https://goo.gl/photos/s7XWUWq3BaiRPs3i7

• Astrid Peter, daughter of Matthew and Libby.  https://goo.gl/photos/YDsmvvCqbVtAK8U19

P.P.S.  THANKS, to Gordy from Humdingers’ Pizza and Butch from F & E Construction who provided the grills to cook for the picnic.

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ABOUT ‘THOUGHTS FROM THE PASTOR’ -   I am sending these e-mail messages, hopefully weekly, to all St. John members and friends whose e-mails I have.  (I am regularly adding new names of friends and members – in case you are just receiving this e-mail for the first time.)  However, if you do not want to receive this e-mail, please let me know, and I’ll gladly leave your name off my list for this message.

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