Genesis 9:3 “Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”

So much for veganism! I have heard it said that the Chinese will eat anything that moves. Fried scorpions are a delicacy! That said, the point of this is that God has provided everything we need to fulfill the tasks He has for us. The task in question here is the same as the one from the Garden of Eden: be fruitful and multiply. Animal protein is an important source of nutrition, and cutting it out requires all sorts of work-arounds to get the needed amino acids and the like. Dietary issues aside, the point of God’s provision is a vital one. This doesn’t just apply to physical considerations. James very rightly pointed out, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” (James 1:5) This isn’t to say that we are to be presumptive, or that we should take everything for granted. On our part, we are to be diligent in our stewardship of what He has already provided, and not be greedy for things we aren’t ready to use properly. At one point we had a refrigerator magnet that said something that, though not a direct quote from anywhere in the Bible, is extremely Biblical: “Where God guides, He provides.” That agrees perfectly with Jesus’ famous statement in Matthew 6:33. “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Our priority needs to be, what does God want me to do? With that question answered, everything falls into place.

This is something God has taught me repeatedly over the years. Right now I am better off financially than I have ever been, and it feels strange. I want to know what the Lord wants me to do! At the same time, I am recognizing all sorts of other limitations. At the moment, my stamina seems to be running short. It is a known phenomenon that recovery times get longer with age, but I seem to be getting a practicum in that. This morning I had great difficulty getting going, and still don’t feel up to speed, so to speak. I’m to listen carefully to the Lord and do everything He says, on His schedule and no other, not even my own. When He says go, I’m to go. When He says rest, I’m to rest. When He says speak, I’m to speak. When He says to be quiet, I’m to shut up. That last might be the most difficult for me! All humor aside, I’m to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, just as He told me personally years ago, so that my life won’t be me spinning my wheels, but Him living and acting in and through me, for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You enabled me to do yesterday, and for Your plans for today. Help me indeed recognize and follow them, not going off on tangents or making excuses for inaction. May I serve as Your agent on every level, using Your provision as You intend, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!