“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
The letter of the Apostle Paul to the Philippians was addressed to “all the saints in Christ Jesus, which are at Philippi.” (1:1) This means that the message of this letter was for every single Christian, disciple, who had been born again of the Spirit, and who had, by the Father’s working, been placed into Christ. Ever believer was a “saint,” according to Paul’s address, and this because God had declared everyone to be holy by virtue of the righteousness, and holiness of Christ to whom they belonged, and Christ belonging to them. Why is this so very important to know? That which one IS in the sight of God, according to His working by the placing them for time and eternity into living union with Christ, will determine the possibilities of that believer to receive from Christ all that is IN Christ, for the knowing and doing of the will of God, but also, the receiving of every resource to glorify Christ. The believer, or saint, whoever they may be, regardless of their specific calling in the body of Christ, and any gift that they might have from God, is most greatly blessed by the fact of union with Christ by the Spirit of God, in order to have communion with Christ by the same Spirit. The worshipping of God in “Spirit and truth” is available to every believer, as is the reception by faith from Christ by the Spirit, of every resource and provision to BE what he should be on earth to glorify Christ, daily knowing the will of God and accomplishing it. And so, at the end of Paul’s epistle to all of these believers in Philippi, after speaking to them of the certainty that God will finish that which He has begun in their lives, and then revealing to them that life is knowing Jesus Christ, to be ever pursued, he brings these believers to the great and wonderful promise: “And my God shall supply ALL your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (4:19) Why does Paul bring the believers to this final moment in speaking of this matter? It is so that they might see that God is operative in their individual lives, and that He is waiting to respond to the call of their hearts concerning every need that they might have, both physical and spiritual. All has been provided IN CHRIST by the Spirit, but will every believer believe God, and seek Him, for the grace to receive all that He desires to give, and this for the glory of God and the Father?
If we were to categorize the types of needs that a believer has, we would go a long way by declaring that they are either physical or spiritual. We could even add that sometimes they are a combination of the two. The important thing that we need to grasp is that for God, all needs are the same to Him with regard to His ability and resources to meet the need. He is the One who moves mountains yet multiplying small loaves of bread for food. Size or greatness makes no difference to Him. The issue is not the magnitude, difficulty, or impossibility of the matter, but the knowledge of His will concerning what He in His wisdom will do in answer to faith and prayer.
In Matthew’s gospel, we find the words of the Lord Jesus: “If ye then, being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children, HOW MUCH MORE shall your Father which is in heaven, give good things to them that ask Him?” (7:11) The Lord opens the door for the believer to come, asking Him to meet specific physical needs. In Luke’s gospel, the Lord changes the words just slightly by saying, “…how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him.” (Luke 11:13) God’s call is for every believer to believe His promise of faithful provision.
Dear Father, Teach us to pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.