Learning To Trust God’s Promise To Meet Our Needs With Abundance

I’m content. I like my apartment. So does my cat. People are nice here.

Tears filled my eyes as I heard my mother’s words. It has been a long five weeks since we left Virginia to facilitate her move to Assisted Living and the sale of her house. The road hasn’t always been smooth, as I shared in my last blog post. But now, on the other side of the struggles, I breathed in deep contentment and gratitude.

My thoughts turned to a psalm I’ve studied during this time. Known as a psalm of praise, David’s words hold special significance for me today. After reminding us of God’s atonement for our sins, David declares God will abundantly meet our needs: 

Blessed are those you choose
     and bring near to live in your courts!

We are filled with the good things of your house,
     of your holy temple. (Psalm 65:4 NIV)

And in case we are tempted to doubt this great promise, David calls our attention to the surpassing power of our God:

who formed the mountains by your power,
     having armed yourself with strength, (Psalm 65:6)

During our time in Colorado, we’ve had the opportunity to cross over the Rocky Mountains (twice). I grew up here, but I had forgotten how eloquently these massive mountains declare His power and might. We can drive around them. We can tunnel through them. But we cannot move them. Yet our almighty God formed them.

I’ve needed to cling to this promise and His power during this process as different obstacles blocked our progress. Transferring my mother’s landline became one seemingly insurmountable mountain. It took five days of incessant calls to the company’s customer service lines, three trips to their store, and one technician who worked for two and one-half hours at my mother’s new apartment to complete the transfer. If you live in the Denver area and have experienced working with this company (which bundles telephone, internet, and TV service), you understand the difficulty. Yet, God’s power prevailed, even over this company’s policies, and at long last, my mother’s phone works in her new apartment. 

The phone line proved to be one of the toughest obstacles. But with every other hardship we faced, God’s power reigned and we successfully honored my mother and her needs.

David concludes his psalm with stunning descriptions of God’s provision:

You care for the land and water it;
     you enrich it abundantly.

The streams of God are filled with water
     to provide the people with grain,
     for so you have ordained it.

You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
     you soften it with showers and bless its crops.

You crown the year with your bounty,
     and your carts overflow with abundance.

The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;
     the hills are clothed with gladness.

The meadows are covered with flocks
     and the valleys are mantled with grain;
     they shout for joy and sing. (Psalm 65:9-13 NIV)

David’s words don’t convey an adequate provision ~ but an incredibly abundant one. Streams are filled, furrows are drenched, carts and grasslands overflow, meadows are covered with flocks, and valleys are mantled (enveloped) with grain.

And so I found this to be true with my mother. Within a week of her time in her new home, we all noticed she had grown stronger physically and was walking with more confidence. Her mind has become more alert and her demeanor more positive. And then… as we entered the foyer of her new home, her eyes lit up when she saw one of the other residents. After introducing us, she smiled and confided, “This is my partner in crime.” 

I thought my heart would burst. My mom is making friends. To put this in perspective, all of my mother’s siblings and most of her friends have passed away. This move gave her opportunities for more friends. In every way, physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially, I see the powerful abundance of God’s provisions and blessings.

Wherever the road leads us, this promise holds true for each of us. Whatever we face along the journey, may we continue to praise the One who powerfully and abundantly meets our needs.