So, I was driving down the road to work this morning. It’s about a 20-30 minute drive each way, so I usually listen to an audio Bible on the way to work and then spend the time praying for people I know on the ride home; however, my battery on my iPod was dead so I’ve borrowed my lovely bride’s Nano and have listened to worship music on the ride to work the last 2 days. This morning I was listening to Jill Phillips CD called Nobody’s got it all Together. Well, the 4th song on the disc is called “Daily Bread.” I’ve pasted the lyrics below.
Some of you know that my wife and I are raising financial support in order to do long term Church Planting in the Arab World. Well, if you’ve ever support raised or know someone who has, the description of the process that is most popular is that it is a “faith building” experience. We’ve support raised several times for short-term projects/trips as well as raised a monthly support team for ongoing financial support for a couple of different ministries we’ve been on staff with. But what becomes clear in each instance is that the “faith building” experience is not a gradual incline of continued growth. If you were to draw it out like a line graph, it would look much more like the stock market daily chart which goes up and down numerous times a day. And some days of support raising, your faith can end just like the current stock market – in a crash of sorts!
So, we are raising support and some are days of great faith and some are dark days. The weird thing is that it doesn’t necessarily depend on how many people join our support team that week. You might be having a good week as far as the numbers go, but still feel like there is NO WAY that you’ll get to your support goal. Other weeks, the support just doesn’t come, but you know by faith that it will and that nothing stops God’s provision. Strange how that works, huh?
Well, this week, the numbers have been good! And my faith level has seemed pretty high as well! So, it’s been a good week. However, it is usually times like this that I forget that it is God who provides. I start to rely on myself, or others, or strategy, or church applications that I have out there floating around waiting for a decision. So, today as I was driving to work, Jill Phillips “Daily Bread” came on the radio. Well, the crazy part is this (and those that are still reading will be rewarded, I think): about half way through the song, as I’m driving, I look at the delivery truck in front of me and notice that the back of the truck reads in big, bold letters “Knead Bread?” Wowza! So, I did what anyone would do, I restarted the song and listened much closer! Read the lyrics below, and let them sink in.
In Retrospect, God has always provided. This is true for me, and this is what the Scriptures continued to remind God’s people about-His past deliverance, provision, and protection. In Prospect, the call to Biblical hope is always a forward look at the great promises of future deliverance, provision, and protection, and even a share in the glory of God! So, today God’s people are ever to live in faith which in grounded in the Retrospect & Prospect. After reading the lyrics, let me know about any Retrospect & Prospect (or Present) thoughts you have about faith in the provision of God.
“Daily Bread” by Jill Phillips
There’s a restlessness in the soul of man
Nobody’s tamed it yet
You never fail to keep any promises
But somehow we forget
That you’re always right on time
You feed us all with a silver spoon
And like your foolish kids
We start worrying about what we’re gonna do
When the hunger comes again
But you’re always right on time
With an open hand
You have exactly what I need
Daily bread
Daily bread
You have the wisdom and the patience
We need the grace to see it clear
Too soon and we take it all for granted
Too late is more than we can bear
So you’re always right on time
With an open hand
You have exactly what I need
Daily bread
Daily bread
Daily bread
