Meet Your Needs

“And my God will meet all your needs according to
His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)

What does Paul mean when he says he will meet our needs “according to his glorious riches?”

First, I read that he says according to, not out of. It doesn’t mean that he will just provide a smidgen when our need is greater – I read this as talking about the extent of his provision, which cannot always be measured financially. God’s provisions often are bringing about circumstances that meet our needs, or providing guidance, etc. While Paul is using financial terms, it isn’t always necessarily so. I dare say that most of the time God meets our needs in ways other than money.

The Greek word Paul uses is “ploûtos”, which generally means wealth or riches, but figuratively ploûtos refers to spiritual abundance or prosperity.  Ploûtos refers to a high point on any scale with the implication of value as well as abundance.

In early Greek literature, the fullness of material things was contrasted with the fullness of spiritual things. It was regarded as crude to be wealthy in terms of possessions but poor in terms of immaterial things. Sadly, many people still make this foolish exchange. They surrender spiritual wealth for financial fatness. (Quoted from Wayne A Detzler, New Testament Words in Today’s Language)

The KJV Commentary draws our focus to His… “great resources. God’s riches in glory. Paul says according to His riches, not out of His riches, not off the top. God’s supply is not according to our deserts, but according to His mercy; not out of debt, but out of grace; not according to our emptiness, but according to His fullness; not according to our poverty, but according to His wealth. God has great riches.”

The famous missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, wrote “It matters little to my servant whether I send him to buy a few cash worth of things, or the most expensive articles. In either case he looks to me for the money and brings me his purchases. So, if God should place me in serious perplexity, must He not give me much guidance; in positions of great difficulty, much grace; in circumstances of great pressure and trial, much strength? No fear that His resources will prove unequal to the emergency! And His resources are mine, for He is mine, and is with me and dwells in me.”

I know that for me, often I need to be actively looking for way that God has met my needs. It isn’t always in large ways with fanfare and trumpets, but often in the quietness of the moment that he provides an answer to prayer, a needed email/message from a friend, the solution to a problem that I’ve given to Him in prayer to show me the way for it to be solved.

“A man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” (Luke 12:15)

When I handle Estate Planning matters for clients it naturally revolves around the question of their material wealth. When someone famous dies one of the things the media always talk about is what they were worth. For some people, if you took away their material possession, when they die there would be little to speak of. 

When we examine the lives of those with true spiritual wealth, it’s easy to see that they have what can’t be taken away or measured in dollars and cents.

Look today for ways that God has provided for you that isn’t measured in dollars and cents and express to Him your gratitude.