“Look at the birds in the sky: They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you more valuable than they are?” (Matthew 6:25-26)
Food and water, check. Sleeping bags and pillows, check. Extra toilet paper, check. On our first mission trip to Mexico, we were nervous about the big three—food, beds, and toilets. For mealtimes, we ate from tin cans. At night, we crawled into our van and shut the doors. And we wrinkled our noses at the bathrooms. The orphanage children must have thought we were loony.
Now I travel for months with only a knapsack. I’m learning that my bond with Jesus is defined more by my trust in his provision of basic life needs than it is by success in global ministry.
If I live on more than $2.50 per day, then I’m richer than half of the world’s population. The poor have a trust that develops through the contact required to live out of God’s hand. The half of us who have more than $2.50 miss that primal relationship.
To live out of God’s hand means I pray through my needs instead of trying to fix everything with money. It means I know my value to my Father, embrace his faithfulness, and wait on his generosity. Taking each necessity from his hand reminds me that his touch is near. I can rely on him for breakfast this morning, for money to pay bills tomorrow, and for life in the full through eternity.
In addition to increasing my trust, perching on God’s hand also infuses me with the courage to help the impoverished half of the world.
Prayer: Loving Father, may I trust you today like the birds of the air.