These all wait for You, that You may give them their food in due season. What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good. (Psalm 104:27-28)

After recognizing the vastness and variety of creatures that populate land and sea, David points out that everything depends on the Creator for sustenance. Whether they have the intelligence to realize that God is their provider or not, their yearnings are directed at Him and, being good and beneficent, He provides for all their needs. That in and of itself is another fascinating feature of creation’s complexities. In other words, every living creature has a different feeding schedule and appetite specific to their species, and yet, God has already provided just what they need.

Whether it be in times of drought or times of plenty, God provides; as it is written, “You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing” (Psalm 145:16). So careful is God to provide for all things He has created, He instructed His people to allow the land to rest every seven years, and stipulated that anything that grew of its own accord was to be for man, his livestock and the creatures of the wild (Leviticus 25:3-7). Clearly, He considers the needs of all and orchestrates conditions that will satisfy those needs. As Messiah said, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26).

Actually, His point in calling attention to God’s care for the birds was to remind us that our Creator is faithful to provide for our needs as well. In fact, He said, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ … For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matthew 6:31-32). But let’s face it, we do worry about these things from time to time even though there are multiple examples in Scripture in which God miraculously provided for those in need.

When Israel wandered through the wilderness, God rained bread down onto the earth. When the widow of Zarephath faced starvation, God caused her small measure of flour and oil to last until the famine was over. When the thousands who followed Messiah were without food, He multiplied five loaves of bread and two fish and satisfied their hunger — and with plenty to spare. The point, obviously, is that our God knows how to provide for us; and not only does He know how to do that, He wants to do that because He is good. May we all keep this in mind the next time we are tempted to worry about what tomorrow will bring; our Father in Heaven knows what we need and He will provide.

Blessings and Shalom,  

Bill