Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me; my LORD has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.
—Is 49:14-15 (NAB)
All three of the readings from today’s Lectionary were what I needed to know today in the midst of all the uncertainty over my lack of work, whether bills (including the April rent) get paid, et cetera. God’s still in control. And God still provides.
Today’s Darwin Award goes to…
It’s an oft-told story about the man who, when told to evacuate his home during a flood, decided instead that he was going to stay put and “let God provide” for him. When the water rose to his front porch, his neighbor came by in his boat and yelled, “C’mon, you need to clear out! Get into the boat!” “Oh no!” the man replied. “God’ll provide and save me!” Later, after the water submerged the first floor of the house and the man was hanging his head out of his second-story window, the Sheriff passed by in a patrol boat and called out to the man to get into the patrol boat and save himself. The man gave the Sheriff the same reply he gave his neighbor. Eventually the water reached the roof of the man’s house, and as the man held on to his chimney for dear life, the Coast Guard found him and lowered a rescue pod to bring him out of the water. Same reply. As one would expect in a situation like this, the man ultimately drowned. After the man died, he stood before his Maker complaining that God never did keep His promise to provide for him. “Wait a minute,” replies God. “Why do you think I sent your neighbor, the Sheriff, and the Coast Guard to save you? I did provide for you, but you refused My help!”
It’s people, stupid!
When we say that “God will provide,” we usually mean that we’re expecting God to simply drop whatever we need out of the sky like some great cosmic sugar daddy. Ever had that happen to you? Didn’t think so. The only things I’ve heard about dropping from the skies on a regular basis are birds, planes, and meteorites, and in those cases you’re pretty much screwed if they land in your lap. The fact is that in most cases, the provision of God comes through the hands of other people. Case in point is how all of you helped us in our time of need last month, and there are countless other anecdotes I could tell of how we’ve been provided for through charities, food banks, the State (food stamps), friends and family, our parish—the list can go on and on. But in none of these cases where we’ve had needs has God magically dropped something out of the sky to provide for us. There’s a reason for that. Not only does God desire to provide for His own, but He desires to provide to others the reward and pleasure of being His hands extended to others. Time, talent, and treasure were never meant to be hoarded; they were meant to be used shared as much as possible. To receive help from others necessarily requires at least some bit of humility. It’s hard to admit we are needy beings, but the fact is we aren’t needy—we’re desperately needy. It’s how we are designed and created; we are created for fellowship and communion, not to be islands unto ourselves. We were created to help each other.
Lesson learned
That’s the lesson to be learned: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. And, while worry isn’t necessary hurtful, excessive worry is. So then, “[d]o not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil” (Mt 6:34). God does provide, if we’re smart enough to look around.
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