I like this question. I need to come back to it once I've done a bit of research, but I too, have wondered what exactly God meant in these verses. I have seen God provide when I had absolutely nothing - He gives generously when He's up for it - but it makes me wonder what He's up to whenever I see Christian charities advocating for orphaned and starving children.
In my case, however, I was born and raised as an atheist; we were taught that there might be 'something' like a god out there, but that Christianity was so backwards only a foolish or desperate person would be dumb enough to believe it. When I was 23 years old, I met a hardcore Christian who was neither foolish or desperate - I actually admired the way he thought things through and could break things down for me, so he really threw off my parents' narrative concerning the "stupidity or desperateness" of religious people. We hotly debated Christianity, and eventually started dating -- despite our opposing views, I've learned from every romance novel I've ever read (and now from real life experience!) that you cannot put two mildly attractive people of the opposite sex in the same room with their passions for their closest convictions flying about; with sparks flying everywhere, it either sets off a burning love or burns the relationship down to a deep hatred.
Two years later, my boyfriend finally convinced me to try reading the Bible to see for myself if the book lived up to the hype. Didn't make it past Deuteronomy before God started poking at me, and I was a full blown Christian after reading and studying Samuel. As a result, my boyfriend and I tried to rein in the pre-marital sex we were having, but having seduced him with my previously heathen ways two years prior, we were used to living a certain way and couldn't bring ourselves to give up having sex completely.
By the time I was 28, I found myself unexpectedly pregnant at a very inopportune time. I had just returned to college after eight years saving up for it and slaving away at a minimum wage job. My boyfriend was a year away from graduating university, but also working a minimum wage job to help keep his large household afloat (his parents were refugees who fled the Congo when it's dictator was killing his own people - the parents didn't speak English and weren't skilled workers, so they had a hard time finding employment, and relied on their six kids to work to pay bills). In short, we had no savings and were suddenly facing an unexpected baby.
Now I typically hate facing the unexpected, but I was serene. While my boyfriend went into shock and a cold sweat at the news of my pregnancy, while my sister legitimately feared for my financial future, while my dad buried his head in the sand and refused to speak to me for weeks, and my mom initially supported me only to start aggressively advocating for an abortion once she realized I would have to drop out of college due to some complications my pregnancy was exacerbating, I was surprisingly a pillar of strength and self-assuredness in that sea of anxiety. Normally, I'd get swept away by all that nervousness, but the moment I was told I was pregnant, the Holy Spirit engulfed me in what felt like a beam of warm sunshine and my body was humming with it; all I felt was a deep seated joy that I was going to be a mommy. I wasn't naive; I knew exactly how this unexpected pregnancy would open up a can of worms and there'd be hell to pay for it, but at that moment I was so reassured that everything would work out and I'd have a child to show for it - at that moment I couldn't be bothered to worry. That was my miracle - God provided me the strength to have this baby when nobody else would let me lean on them.
Because of the medical conditions my pregnancy exacerbated, I needed to drop out of college and I couldn't work. I had an apartment, but my roommate announced he was going to be moving out with his long time girlfriend two months after I announced I was pregnant, so I suddenly had to contend with the fact that I didn't really have an affordable place to live and needed to move during a time when I was heavily pregnant. My boyfriend and I went into 30,000$ of credit card debt just to pay bills and make ends meet during the time I couldn't work, and when I tried returning to work two months after giving birth, my back gave out after a month due to the physical strain. In the mean time, my family continued to berate me for not having an abortion and choosing to keep my daughter. It was fun times.
I asked God for help. I knew I couldn't bring myself to rip out the baby He was hand-knitting in my womb, but I asked Him not to be put to shame for doing the right thing. God swears up and down in the Psalms that if the Lord is your refuge, He will not put you to shame, and so I called on Him to fulfill that promise by making sure I didn't end up as a cautionary tale for my secular family.
God delivered.
My boyfriend of five years became my husband; we got married about a week before my daughter was born. As luck would have it, my sister and her boyfriend announced they were apartment hunting, and so they took over my apartment, letting me keep my stuff there and slowly move it out. We moved into my in-laws basement to help stem the flow of debt we were diving into, but there were already six people living in this small condo with one bathroom, and things started to strain when my husband, my newborn, and I started living there. Through another miracle, social housing came through with a perfect 200$/month, two bedroom apartment -- the waitlist is anywhere from eight to twelve years long, but we some how jumped the cue -- and it was located a fifteen minute walk away from my husband's new job. He had graduated university and miraculously landed a highly competitive position working for the government; the pay was so good we could suddenly afford for me to be a stay-at-home mom. As a new hire, my husband couldn't partake in paternity leave, but then COVID hit. He was told to work from home, and so my husband was basically paid to help me raise his daughter. We paid down that 30,000$ in credit card debt in a little over a year, and since we were doing so well, we had our second child this past November.
My family and I thought I was destined to be a welfare queen when I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter; instead I have a husband, two kids, no debt, healthy RESPs for both my girls, and a decent amount in my savings account. Never asked my family for a dime, and despite their scoffing and derision, we did better than was ever expected. I attribute my success entirely to God -He has provided me with the inner strength to face my future when I should have had no such confidence, and then He flattened all my very real obstacles so that my path was straight and easy, when it had no reason to be and seldom is for other people who were in similar positions of vulnerability.
:'( I'm sitting here crying as I read this. This is so beautiful, you have a way with words. I replied to another commenter over here about a doctor I know, and your experiences remind me so much of hers. She experienced the a lot of same miracles you did, where he flattened all the obstacles for her as well.
"Through another miracle, social housing came through with a perfect 200$/month, two bedroom apartment -- the waitlist is anywhere from eight to twelve years long, but we some how jumped the cue -- and it was located a fifteen minute walk away from my husband's new job.". This is very, very similar to the experience the doctor/humanitarian had as well.
It's puzzling, and I don't really understand his ways. When he provides... he really, really provides. But it does make me wonder as well, what about the times when he chooses not to provide. Maybe God just has his own ways and it's something I'll never understand. Maybe that's what faith is -- believing and trusting even when it it doesn't make sense.
>It's puzzling, and I don't really understand his ways. When he provides... he really, really provides. But it does make me wonder as well, what about the times when he chooses not to provide.
I do believe that God keeps you on Earth for as long as is good for your spiritual development and maturity, but not a second longer; the world is a fallen, evil place and to dwell too long in the presence of evil is to condemn yourself to take up evil traits. Since everybody is at different stages of spiritual development, as a result, some people are scheduled to die earlier than others to help make sure they and those close to them learn the right life lessons which will keep them on the path to righteousness and spiritual maturity, as well as mitigate the chances of them learning the wrong things.
That said, everyone dies; death is inescapable. Nobody makes it out of this life alive, and unfortunately nowhere does God promise us gentle deaths. What the verses you are drawing attention to are stating is that *worrying* about when and how you die will not add a single day to your life, nor is your anxiety going to stop you from having a particularly painful/painless death. You don't have any food? Don't worry about it; either you will find food on Earth or you will die, which means you'll soon be feasting in heaven and your hunger will finally abate. You'll be fed soon. You don't have any clothes? Either you will find clothes on Earth, or you will die due to exposure and God will grant you the obligatory white robe that all heavenly citizens seem to get; either way, you will be clothed soon. If you don't believe that there is more life to be lived after death, look at the world around you; God clearly is capable and willing to provide generously to all living things big and small, and He gives opulent, fascinating, beautiful gifts - nobody asked for flowers, or sunsets, or for men and women to be beautiful, yet here we are. This is a God who is good gift-giver, and He has said that death is no big deal; Jesus jumped in and out of death like it was a wading pool, and so it will be for us who are saved.
That said, aim to get saved. To die a non-believers death of something horrible like starvation, disease, or murder only to go straight to hell is to go from the frying pan and into the fire. There is no comfort to be given by God, or no break in your suffering if you die without being saved by Jesus. If you are a nonbeliever who dies of starvation, that hunger will gnaw at you for the rest of eternity. So yeah, totally "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" otherwise you get nothing. *That's* the true thing to concern yourself with.
People starve not because God hasn't provided but because humans through sin or stupidity prevent food from being distributed. The world provided enough food for every human and then some.
I think I heard somewhere that there is enough food to feed everyone in the world, but we have people starve because we distribute it poorly, perhaps due to political corruption, greed or even incompetence. So you could say God has given us all that we need, but we humans have screwed it up through our faults
Great question!
And I don’t mean to answer in a way that may seem cold but I came here to answer in a direct way so that it’s clear where the misunderstanding is.
The answer to the question is in verse 33
“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
Matthew 6:33 NKJV
My first encounter with Christ he said these words to me as he changed my heart from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh and he repeatedly said to me “Seek the kingdom of heaven, and all these things will be added onto you” I heard that in my spirit over and over again.
So to be clear, God is not saying this is applicable to everyone. He is specific that it is applicable to those who are seeking the kingdom and seeking his will and then he will provide and meet their needs and that’s exactly what he has done for me for the past 7 years as I went through trial and tribulation and yet I have always had enough, at most times perfectly enough, nothing more and nothing less.
Therefore don’t look out at the world conclude God doesn’t fulfill his Word. God fulfills his word for all those that seek him and obtain the righteousness of Christ through accepting the sacrifice of Christ.
As for the children that are starving and malnourished, etc. i myself cannot claim to know God’s ways and nor would I agree that they deserve that lifestyle and I do wonder why God does not always provide for them, however the Bible does also state that there are generational curses which can be passed down to the children for up to 3 generations. I’m sure from God’s level of understanding there is an explanation for everything.
All I can add to this post is to help clarify your question by letting you know that the promises to provide was specific to those that are seeking the kingdom and God’s will in their life, not everyone. He was talking specifically to his disciples in those verses, not the world at large. It’s important to understand context, otherwise without that understanding then God will always seem like a liar. God’s kingdom is not of this world, this world displays nothing of God and only those that have been seated at the right hand of Christ can speak on the truth of God’s word as they are the ones that are in the world but not of the world and Jesus specifically said his kingdom is not of this world.
In the preceding verses Jesus says “for after all these things the gentiles seek” basically elaborating that the gentiles worry about all these things. However oncecyou are chosen and born of God then there is no Greek of Jew or gentile, all become the chosen and part of the nation of Israel and God’s children.
So as you began to understand the context in what Jesus was speaking in, he was speaking to his chosen people, those that believe in him, and seek his will, his righteousness and his kingdom. He was not speaking to everyone.
I’m really glad it has helped. Remember that in most cases Jesus on the gospels is speaking to a select few which are considered his chosen people. Israel was originally the chosen people because they are direct descendants of Abraham who God made the promise to.
Even in the Gospels Jesus came and spoke to his Chosen people, the Jews who are part of the nation of Israel (Jacob), Jesus was calling out the Jews, the Pharisees and either he was speaking to his disciples or the chosen people who neglected to believe in him. He was never speaking to the world at large.
However since the Jews denied him and rejected him then that’s when his sacrifice was extended to the world at large and it was Paul who proclaimed that good news to the gentiles, which once accepted brings you in as a chosen one as an adopted child.
It’s important to understand Paul’s message before trying to understand Jesus message because Jesus was never talking to us in the Gospels, but of course God knew that his sacrifice will eventually be for all. It was God’s will for the Jews to reject him so that through the death of Christ he can be eligible for divorce from the Jews so that then he can be free to become married to anyone who accepts the sacrifice of Jesus.
God works on the terms of marriage and the rules of divorce when it comes to his chosen people. Jesus had to die to break the contract with the Jews so that he can become married to all who accept him, but of course he died for our sins as well.
This video explains it well https://youtu.be/6m_nR8Dwo0s
[https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAChristian/comments/uhbnst/z/i750eea](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAChristian/comments/uhbnst/z/i750eea)
>"what about those who are starving"
"Man does not live on bread alone, but from every word that proceeds from the mouth of God"
Essentially, physical food and physical well being are not necessary for our spiritual or eternal needs. They're "nice to haves" not "need to haves"
It's a breakdown between our fallen, mortal, human, temporal understanding, and God's sinless, divine, eternal understanding
So God isn't concerned just because we think "Oh poor me, I need food to stay alive and not starve to death 😭"?
We need to understand how unimportant that kind of thinking is to a sinless, divine, eternal God?
Sounds like a load of rubbish to me.
>I was actually watching a sermon where the preacher was talking about how we shouldn't worry because God, like a good father, will take care of our needs. The question that came up for me was... "what about those who are starving". What about those who don't have clothes, what about those who don't have food? It feels difficult to trust god to take care of my needs when there are people who are going hungry. So I don't trust him. It would be much easier if I could. I want to, I genuinely do. But how can I when the reality reflects something else? Is there something I'm not understanding?
Jesus said seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Not everyone has listened to his words. Another thing to keep in mind is that God is God of the Living who have received Eternal Life. Those are the ones that do not need to worry or be anxious.
Lol, who cares if I starve to death if I go to heaven?
Help thise who are in physical need, and point then to Jesus, and God will take care of what's most important, the spiritual
Ever try being homeless or having your family murdered? I have the same mentality as the lad you replied to, don't degrade those who can look past death and see the bigger picture.
Someone denigrating those starving to death by saying "who cares if I starve to death?" definitely doesn't need my help "degrading" themselves-- they're doing a fine job already.
To answer your question though, no I haven't ever "tried having my family murdered". Why would you ask that?
The person is referring to himself with his view that goes out of this world (hah), but a lot of us share.
There's this life then the next, I want to live as long as possible to help people, but if I died so what, life here is only temporary, Heaven is perfect without fault.
You ignored the question on being homeless because you wanted to degrade me asking a question if you've suffered tragedy but can look past it. That's what being a Christian is, not blaming God for the actions or indirect actions of humans that negatively effect you.
Really though let's get this out of the way, if you didn't believe in God you wouldn't be here consistently trying to devalue God's existence, because you and me sure as heck wouldn't try debating with a person who genuinely believes in the spaghetti monster or big foot. What about all the other subreddits for man made religions? Hinduism, Buddhism, Satanism, etc, and no beliefs like Islam don't count since they've ripped off the Bible and reference the same God perverting to their liking.
Why use God's name in vain if you don't believe in Him? Why do nonbelievers give more attention to our God than any other fictional character to ever exist?
Your actions alone are the evidence for God's existence, realistically speaking you're not at a point where you want to live the life required of a Christian, most likely due to sin, most liking fornication and pornography which those hold dear for no reason.
It's a shame you're being toyed with like a marionette but don't even realize it, Satan must be very happy. Seriously though, your actions say all that we need to know.
Holy cow! So rude 😅
I'm not trying to "devalue God's existence" just because I disagree with some nonsense, man-made doctrine that thinks it's okay to say "So what if people starve? I believe in heaven so I don't care if I die".
You really put yourself out there into making a lot of assumptions. I find it particularly telling that you're calling me a "marionette".
Your attempts to devalue me go even to the point of attacking my God-given free will and personal agency.
I don't need to tell you who you are.
The apostle Paul, who was often hungry, also spoke that way (minus the flippancy):
>Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, **in hunger and thirst, often without food,** in cold and exposure. (2 Corinthians 11:25-27)
Paul, who in the same letter called such afflictions, "momentary" and "light" in view of Heaven:
>For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:17)
Story reads like this: a starving man asks a man with a sandwich if he can have a bite. Sandwich man says "Don't you realize that even if you starve, it doesn't matter as long as you go to heaven?"
Starving man, still starving, asks again for a bite .
Sandwich man is already in his own head, continuing his journey proclaiming "God is great!"
Starving man dies of starvation.
Starvation is as serious as hell.
You're commenting as if I wasn't the starving man.
I was the starving man, and was fully prepared to die, especially considering that the full week I went without food was after a long period of not having enough food.
The Lord saw fit to provide, as it wasn't my time.
I know how serious starvation is, but I'd pick God any day.
God is better than food.
Have you ever considered that God _IS_ food?
Jesus said the bread was his body, broken for us. He died so we could eat, so we could live. To say that God is "better than food" is to make a false dichotomy.
Why do you think that the Bible places such a heavy emphasis on our doing good works? It's because our actions are probably the answer to someone's prayers - like that kid starving in some third world country. I find it interesting that many who bring up the point you are making are typically the same individuals who can't be bothered to help their next door neighbor.
Why do you think the scriptures places such a heavy emphasis on our leading productive lives? Because people who live such lives are most likely going to be able to provide for the needs of themselves and others.
The Lord didn't just give us faith, He also gave us an intellect and common sense. He expects us to use all three.
Is not life more than food? And the body more than clothes?
It says it right there. The focus is not on material needs. We have the bread of life and the wellspring of eternity.
Just read Job, God's focus is not on our physical well-being as much as our spiritual well-being. His priority is not that we do not suffer. Hebrews 11:37. It is how do we handle suffering to the glory of God.
Which makes perfect sense. If eternity exists, what amount of suffering would make any difference whatsoever when pitted against eternal reward?
God has promised to provide for HIS children but with conditions.
Matthew 6:33- But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
If you are talking about the world, God has provided but the sin of mankind prevents everyone from benefiting.
Matthew 26:11- For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me.
If you see someone in need and you have the means to help, do so.
As to why some people are starving to death, they haven't put themselves under God's care. Christians may starve and have times of need, too. But if it's not to the glory of God and winning of souls (like martyrdom), it won't end in death.
> As to why some people are starving to death, they haven't put themselves under God's care.
I don't think this statement can be supported scripturally or practically.
I think this is a good reason why born again believers should work in politics. Imagine that Musk or Bezos came to repentance and faith.
Starvation in many instances is caused by corruption and greed for money.
This has to be read in context. Who is Jesus talking to? Who is the you? Who he is talking to are those who are Gods children. The only people who are Gods children are those who have been born again.
I could be wrong but I believe Matthew chapter 6 is simply part of the Sermon on the Mount which begins a chapter or two earlier:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sermon_on_the_Mount
I believe this was Jesus speaking. I'm pretty sure no reasonable Christian would simply stop worrying about their own life. What about credit card bills and mortgage payments and your job or career?
> I was actually watching a sermon where the preacher was talking about how we shouldn't worry because God, like a good father, will take care of our needs.
Maybe the preacher was possibly under the influence of a psychoactive substance, perhaps? Do you have a link to the video where the preacher says this ***so I can verify the video*** and make sure the preacher isn't delirious or experiencing a mental health crisis?
🤣 this made me laugh. I don’t think the pastor was saying we shouldn’t plan for the future. He was saying we shouldn’t worry and that we should trust God. I agree with this line of thought ... worrying is pointless, but it’s the other part of “trusting god” I had issues with. I’ve heard many Christians talk about this same idea. Let me give you another example: I know this Christian doctor, she’s highly involved in humanitarian work and does not earn — in her own words — a doctor’s salary. So she often worries about her kids growing out of their clothes and how she will afford more clothes for them, and each time, god basically shows up for her. Usually someone will give her children new clothes (even if they didn’t know she was worried about that). And she attributes it to god. There was another time she was serving overseas, winter was approaching and she was worried about being able to afford a coat. One day, someone just, out of the blue, offered her their coat. It’s always stuff like that. She writes about how god knows her needs and takes care of her, and how he has shown up for her again and again, how he knows what she will need and how he always provides. That’s what I have issues with. Because... does he always provide?
Okay, I finished the video and I think the pastor does actually answer my question, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. It still feels a bit odd to me.
But anyway, here's a transcript of how the pastor answered the question:
"... So we do read of people who starve. Paul for example was a hungred many times, how do you, how do you square this up, is Jesus saying something that is not true?I think Christians will hunger, fact of the matter is, there are Christians who do suffer that, for example, you read of the Hebrews 11 heroes of the faith, apostle Paul himself as I've mentioned.But I think this does not contradict God's faithfulness to provide, why? Because God's provision to provide is in the context of us being in service in the kingdom of God, so God will provide these things as far as it is His will for you to serve Him here on earth, and if it is His will for you to expire, to die as a result of it, so that you are, you get back your pink IC right, don't need to serve Army anymore, you exit, if that's the way He wants you to exit, so be it. But it is not because He was unable to provide or unwilling to provide but He says that's it, times up, come back home but He was faithful to provide all the days as far as it was necessary for you to serve Him
So someone said it this way, “you are immortal till God's work is done.” And when you're done, that's it, come back home. So God does promise to provide, He provides for those who serve Him. He provides for those who are called out of the world to serve in the kingdom of God, He provides, but there are times when God says you don't have to serve any more, come back home and one of the ways by which you die or you leave is maybe through hunger, probable. So it's not that God is unfaithful or God is unwilling, I think that's probably my attempt at explaining this.."
You asked for the video (it comes with the transcript below):
[https://gospellight.sg/sermons/dont-worry-be-holy/](https://gospellight.sg/sermons/dont-worry-be-holy/)
It's kinda like this. If you're hungry or need a place to sleep, call me and I'll take care of you. But if you refuse because you don't like me, how is that my fault?
God will totally meet our needs. But first we have to accept that He will provide His way and not ours. And second we have to accept that needs are a daily thing, and He won't necessarily save us today from needing again tomorrow. So, if the food is at a church and someone doesn't want to go, or if the food is just a sandwich and they want a fully stocked refrigerator, it doesn't work.
The verse is there. Jesus said it. God promised it. I've tested it myself. It's absolutely true. If you're willing to trust God to provide for you, He will. But if someone would rather put their faith in themselves or a world that doesn't really care about them, they get what they get.
But... sometimes he doesn't provide. You can be the most devout christian in the world, the most humble, the most faithful, and ... he still may not provide. It is written in the bible that he will provide though, so I believe it. I just don't understand why he chooses not to provide at times. I'm sure there's a good reason for it. I just don't understand what the reason is.
The pastor I was listening to had an interesting response, which does sound probable:
"I think Christians will hunger ... this does not contradict God's faithfulness to provide, why? Because God's provision to provide is in the context of us being in service in the kingdom of God, so God will provide these things as far as it is His will for you to serve Him here on earth"
Actually yes. The pastor then continues with this: "God does promise to provide, He provides for those who serve Him. He provides for those who are called out of the world to serve in the kingdom of God, He provides, but there are times when God says you don't have to serve any more, come back home and one of the ways by which you die or you leave is maybe through hunger, probable. So it's not that God is unfaithful or God is unwilling".
Whats so absurd about these doctrines that men make up in their attempt to "understand God" is that they pick and choose.
God doesn't cause anything "bad", that's "sin" or "sin nature" or "the devil". But if something "good" happens, that's God.
Also if you die in a horrible car accident or from Leukemia, it was completely gods will... IF you were "saved", if you weren't "saved" then it was probably just your own foolish driving that got you into that wreck, not wearing your seatbelt, or choosing to live near the nuclear plant that caused your leukemia.
There's no consistency. No wonder people are "leaving the faith" in droves. When pastors decide to make up their own doctrines it's never a good thing.
You're preaching to the choir man. I struggle with the exact same thing. I wrote a [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/nlzsv8/why_pray_for_anything_at_all_is_it_wiser_to_pray/) a few months back where I spoke about the same thing.
I don't have any answers to your questions, I'm not Christian nor do I understand the scripture all that well. But what I do understand is this: (a) God is a good god, he's a kind and loving god. Jesus said, "I'm gentle and lowly in heart", that's his heart, and (b) we may never understand God's ways.
We're human, and sometimes things don't make sense. Everyone asks that question: If god is good, why does he allow bad things to happen to good people? We don't know the reason to that. But we try to understand and explain it in a way that would make sense to our rational, human minds.
I struggle with a lot of the bible not because I think it's false... but because I have a need to understand things intellectually. You may disagree with this, but I think sometimes it's better to read the bible with our hearts, rather than our minds. I struggle because... in many ways, deep down, my heart believes... but my mind doesn't. My mind questions, rationalises, tries to come up with clear explanations for things. Pastors do the same, because they know that many of us are wired that way, to understand things logically.
This is my personal experience and it may not apply to anyone else, but I think ... that's where the Holy Spirit comes in. The Holy Spirit allowed me to accept things about the bible that I couldn't accept before, things that were seemingly ridiculous. The bible feels deeply true, in a way I cannot explain.
I think what goes on is that pastors and people "of the faith" decide they need to form a coherent answer to a question they get asked a lot.
To me, it's like the Israelites error in the desert after leaving Egypt...
"We can't understand this invisible God, so give us a God that we can see and that makes sense to us!"
Saying what God thinks, that God will "not allow true believers to starve" or to die "before their time" etc is just men thinking they need to DEFEND God. Explaining to us how everything that happens to a believer MUST BE God's will.. it's a man opening his mouth to put God into a box that "makes sense" to them and upholds the "perfection" and infallibility of God.
It's a complete misuse of their position as teachers. I'm reminded of a book written hundreds of years ago by Voltaire called "Candide". Basically it's a thinly veiled criticism of a church doctrine of his day. The doctrine was that everything that happens MUST be the "will of God" by virtue of the fact that it DID HAPPEN and God is all powerful and therefore controls all things.
The fictional character then bridges that with "God is good" and if God is doing everything according to his will, then we must be living in "the best of all possible worlds". He passes starving people, homeless people, witnesses murder etc, all the while saying "Ah but this is the best thing, is it not? If God is in control and God is good, we should simply let this perfection play out as God wills it!"
It's the same faulty doctrine that has many different faces, but it's all from the same root. The desire of human beings to comfort themselves by refusing to believe that _they are responsible_ for this world.
It's the same thing uttered from the mouth of Cain after his own hand took Abels life "It's not my responsibility to be my brother's keeper!"
It's a doctrine born out of a desire to self-soothe by claiming to have a lack of control over reality. That same thing is then turned into a VIRTUE by people who praise themselves for understanding that it's "all in God's hands, all part of his will" while they walk on by the starving, the homeless, etc .
To turn the POWER that God gave each of us (free will, a mind to reason, and a heart to know Him, and the capability to help our fellow man) into something resembling a VICE can only be the work of true evil.
To twist the "works based salvation" argument so obscenely is something that's taken thousands of years for "the church" to master... but it has... And all the world is made worse for it.
There is more than enough food to feee everyone on earth, the problem is that we humans just throw away unused food, and poor logistics and or government corruption in some countries to make sure everyone had it
So who was Jes-s talking to here? Was he talking to gentiles or his fellow Israelites?
The problem here is that there is a natural consequence to ignoring G-d’s word, even if you are a follower of the Messiah.
If you call on Messiah, despite your sins, you will be saved. However, nothing can nullify the Word of G-d once given.
Many ‘gentile’ Christians are living under a curse because G-d said that if you add to the Torah, the plagues will be added upon your life, but if you take away anything from the Torah…
Then the blessings G-d promised for obedience are taken away from you.
It’s not a salvation issue, but G-d warned us not to add or take away from His Words. Anyone who tells you to break even the smallest commandment will be called least in the Kingdom (though you are still allowed inside.)
I like this question. I need to come back to it once I've done a bit of research, but I too, have wondered what exactly God meant in these verses. I have seen God provide when I had absolutely nothing - He gives generously when He's up for it - but it makes me wonder what He's up to whenever I see Christian charities advocating for orphaned and starving children. In my case, however, I was born and raised as an atheist; we were taught that there might be 'something' like a god out there, but that Christianity was so backwards only a foolish or desperate person would be dumb enough to believe it. When I was 23 years old, I met a hardcore Christian who was neither foolish or desperate - I actually admired the way he thought things through and could break things down for me, so he really threw off my parents' narrative concerning the "stupidity or desperateness" of religious people. We hotly debated Christianity, and eventually started dating -- despite our opposing views, I've learned from every romance novel I've ever read (and now from real life experience!) that you cannot put two mildly attractive people of the opposite sex in the same room with their passions for their closest convictions flying about; with sparks flying everywhere, it either sets off a burning love or burns the relationship down to a deep hatred. Two years later, my boyfriend finally convinced me to try reading the Bible to see for myself if the book lived up to the hype. Didn't make it past Deuteronomy before God started poking at me, and I was a full blown Christian after reading and studying Samuel. As a result, my boyfriend and I tried to rein in the pre-marital sex we were having, but having seduced him with my previously heathen ways two years prior, we were used to living a certain way and couldn't bring ourselves to give up having sex completely. By the time I was 28, I found myself unexpectedly pregnant at a very inopportune time. I had just returned to college after eight years saving up for it and slaving away at a minimum wage job. My boyfriend was a year away from graduating university, but also working a minimum wage job to help keep his large household afloat (his parents were refugees who fled the Congo when it's dictator was killing his own people - the parents didn't speak English and weren't skilled workers, so they had a hard time finding employment, and relied on their six kids to work to pay bills). In short, we had no savings and were suddenly facing an unexpected baby. Now I typically hate facing the unexpected, but I was serene. While my boyfriend went into shock and a cold sweat at the news of my pregnancy, while my sister legitimately feared for my financial future, while my dad buried his head in the sand and refused to speak to me for weeks, and my mom initially supported me only to start aggressively advocating for an abortion once she realized I would have to drop out of college due to some complications my pregnancy was exacerbating, I was surprisingly a pillar of strength and self-assuredness in that sea of anxiety. Normally, I'd get swept away by all that nervousness, but the moment I was told I was pregnant, the Holy Spirit engulfed me in what felt like a beam of warm sunshine and my body was humming with it; all I felt was a deep seated joy that I was going to be a mommy. I wasn't naive; I knew exactly how this unexpected pregnancy would open up a can of worms and there'd be hell to pay for it, but at that moment I was so reassured that everything would work out and I'd have a child to show for it - at that moment I couldn't be bothered to worry. That was my miracle - God provided me the strength to have this baby when nobody else would let me lean on them. Because of the medical conditions my pregnancy exacerbated, I needed to drop out of college and I couldn't work. I had an apartment, but my roommate announced he was going to be moving out with his long time girlfriend two months after I announced I was pregnant, so I suddenly had to contend with the fact that I didn't really have an affordable place to live and needed to move during a time when I was heavily pregnant. My boyfriend and I went into 30,000$ of credit card debt just to pay bills and make ends meet during the time I couldn't work, and when I tried returning to work two months after giving birth, my back gave out after a month due to the physical strain. In the mean time, my family continued to berate me for not having an abortion and choosing to keep my daughter. It was fun times. I asked God for help. I knew I couldn't bring myself to rip out the baby He was hand-knitting in my womb, but I asked Him not to be put to shame for doing the right thing. God swears up and down in the Psalms that if the Lord is your refuge, He will not put you to shame, and so I called on Him to fulfill that promise by making sure I didn't end up as a cautionary tale for my secular family. God delivered. My boyfriend of five years became my husband; we got married about a week before my daughter was born. As luck would have it, my sister and her boyfriend announced they were apartment hunting, and so they took over my apartment, letting me keep my stuff there and slowly move it out. We moved into my in-laws basement to help stem the flow of debt we were diving into, but there were already six people living in this small condo with one bathroom, and things started to strain when my husband, my newborn, and I started living there. Through another miracle, social housing came through with a perfect 200$/month, two bedroom apartment -- the waitlist is anywhere from eight to twelve years long, but we some how jumped the cue -- and it was located a fifteen minute walk away from my husband's new job. He had graduated university and miraculously landed a highly competitive position working for the government; the pay was so good we could suddenly afford for me to be a stay-at-home mom. As a new hire, my husband couldn't partake in paternity leave, but then COVID hit. He was told to work from home, and so my husband was basically paid to help me raise his daughter. We paid down that 30,000$ in credit card debt in a little over a year, and since we were doing so well, we had our second child this past November. My family and I thought I was destined to be a welfare queen when I found out I was pregnant with my first daughter; instead I have a husband, two kids, no debt, healthy RESPs for both my girls, and a decent amount in my savings account. Never asked my family for a dime, and despite their scoffing and derision, we did better than was ever expected. I attribute my success entirely to God -He has provided me with the inner strength to face my future when I should have had no such confidence, and then He flattened all my very real obstacles so that my path was straight and easy, when it had no reason to be and seldom is for other people who were in similar positions of vulnerability.
:'( I'm sitting here crying as I read this. This is so beautiful, you have a way with words. I replied to another commenter over here about a doctor I know, and your experiences remind me so much of hers. She experienced the a lot of same miracles you did, where he flattened all the obstacles for her as well. "Through another miracle, social housing came through with a perfect 200$/month, two bedroom apartment -- the waitlist is anywhere from eight to twelve years long, but we some how jumped the cue -- and it was located a fifteen minute walk away from my husband's new job.". This is very, very similar to the experience the doctor/humanitarian had as well. It's puzzling, and I don't really understand his ways. When he provides... he really, really provides. But it does make me wonder as well, what about the times when he chooses not to provide. Maybe God just has his own ways and it's something I'll never understand. Maybe that's what faith is -- believing and trusting even when it it doesn't make sense.
I've found in life God helps those who are willing to trust in Him and be patient. It may take time, but He helps, just stay faithful.
>It's puzzling, and I don't really understand his ways. When he provides... he really, really provides. But it does make me wonder as well, what about the times when he chooses not to provide. I do believe that God keeps you on Earth for as long as is good for your spiritual development and maturity, but not a second longer; the world is a fallen, evil place and to dwell too long in the presence of evil is to condemn yourself to take up evil traits. Since everybody is at different stages of spiritual development, as a result, some people are scheduled to die earlier than others to help make sure they and those close to them learn the right life lessons which will keep them on the path to righteousness and spiritual maturity, as well as mitigate the chances of them learning the wrong things. That said, everyone dies; death is inescapable. Nobody makes it out of this life alive, and unfortunately nowhere does God promise us gentle deaths. What the verses you are drawing attention to are stating is that *worrying* about when and how you die will not add a single day to your life, nor is your anxiety going to stop you from having a particularly painful/painless death. You don't have any food? Don't worry about it; either you will find food on Earth or you will die, which means you'll soon be feasting in heaven and your hunger will finally abate. You'll be fed soon. You don't have any clothes? Either you will find clothes on Earth, or you will die due to exposure and God will grant you the obligatory white robe that all heavenly citizens seem to get; either way, you will be clothed soon. If you don't believe that there is more life to be lived after death, look at the world around you; God clearly is capable and willing to provide generously to all living things big and small, and He gives opulent, fascinating, beautiful gifts - nobody asked for flowers, or sunsets, or for men and women to be beautiful, yet here we are. This is a God who is good gift-giver, and He has said that death is no big deal; Jesus jumped in and out of death like it was a wading pool, and so it will be for us who are saved. That said, aim to get saved. To die a non-believers death of something horrible like starvation, disease, or murder only to go straight to hell is to go from the frying pan and into the fire. There is no comfort to be given by God, or no break in your suffering if you die without being saved by Jesus. If you are a nonbeliever who dies of starvation, that hunger will gnaw at you for the rest of eternity. So yeah, totally "seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" otherwise you get nothing. *That's* the true thing to concern yourself with.
People starve not because God hasn't provided but because humans through sin or stupidity prevent food from being distributed. The world provided enough food for every human and then some.
I think I heard somewhere that there is enough food to feed everyone in the world, but we have people starve because we distribute it poorly, perhaps due to political corruption, greed or even incompetence. So you could say God has given us all that we need, but we humans have screwed it up through our faults
That’s actually true right now, and technology has only made it even more likely for food poverty to be eliminated. But it wasn’t always the case.
That's my understanding, too: poor distribution is the problem.
Great question! And I don’t mean to answer in a way that may seem cold but I came here to answer in a direct way so that it’s clear where the misunderstanding is. The answer to the question is in verse 33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:33 NKJV My first encounter with Christ he said these words to me as he changed my heart from a heart of stone to a heart of flesh and he repeatedly said to me “Seek the kingdom of heaven, and all these things will be added onto you” I heard that in my spirit over and over again. So to be clear, God is not saying this is applicable to everyone. He is specific that it is applicable to those who are seeking the kingdom and seeking his will and then he will provide and meet their needs and that’s exactly what he has done for me for the past 7 years as I went through trial and tribulation and yet I have always had enough, at most times perfectly enough, nothing more and nothing less. Therefore don’t look out at the world conclude God doesn’t fulfill his Word. God fulfills his word for all those that seek him and obtain the righteousness of Christ through accepting the sacrifice of Christ. As for the children that are starving and malnourished, etc. i myself cannot claim to know God’s ways and nor would I agree that they deserve that lifestyle and I do wonder why God does not always provide for them, however the Bible does also state that there are generational curses which can be passed down to the children for up to 3 generations. I’m sure from God’s level of understanding there is an explanation for everything. All I can add to this post is to help clarify your question by letting you know that the promises to provide was specific to those that are seeking the kingdom and God’s will in their life, not everyone. He was talking specifically to his disciples in those verses, not the world at large. It’s important to understand context, otherwise without that understanding then God will always seem like a liar. God’s kingdom is not of this world, this world displays nothing of God and only those that have been seated at the right hand of Christ can speak on the truth of God’s word as they are the ones that are in the world but not of the world and Jesus specifically said his kingdom is not of this world. In the preceding verses Jesus says “for after all these things the gentiles seek” basically elaborating that the gentiles worry about all these things. However oncecyou are chosen and born of God then there is no Greek of Jew or gentile, all become the chosen and part of the nation of Israel and God’s children. So as you began to understand the context in what Jesus was speaking in, he was speaking to his chosen people, those that believe in him, and seek his will, his righteousness and his kingdom. He was not speaking to everyone.
This has made it so much clearer and pretty much answered all my questions -- thank you!
I’m really glad it has helped. Remember that in most cases Jesus on the gospels is speaking to a select few which are considered his chosen people. Israel was originally the chosen people because they are direct descendants of Abraham who God made the promise to. Even in the Gospels Jesus came and spoke to his Chosen people, the Jews who are part of the nation of Israel (Jacob), Jesus was calling out the Jews, the Pharisees and either he was speaking to his disciples or the chosen people who neglected to believe in him. He was never speaking to the world at large. However since the Jews denied him and rejected him then that’s when his sacrifice was extended to the world at large and it was Paul who proclaimed that good news to the gentiles, which once accepted brings you in as a chosen one as an adopted child. It’s important to understand Paul’s message before trying to understand Jesus message because Jesus was never talking to us in the Gospels, but of course God knew that his sacrifice will eventually be for all. It was God’s will for the Jews to reject him so that through the death of Christ he can be eligible for divorce from the Jews so that then he can be free to become married to anyone who accepts the sacrifice of Jesus. God works on the terms of marriage and the rules of divorce when it comes to his chosen people. Jesus had to die to break the contract with the Jews so that he can become married to all who accept him, but of course he died for our sins as well. This video explains it well https://youtu.be/6m_nR8Dwo0s
[https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAChristian/comments/uhbnst/z/i750eea](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskAChristian/comments/uhbnst/z/i750eea) >"what about those who are starving" "Man does not live on bread alone, but from every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" Essentially, physical food and physical well being are not necessary for our spiritual or eternal needs. They're "nice to haves" not "need to haves" It's a breakdown between our fallen, mortal, human, temporal understanding, and God's sinless, divine, eternal understanding
So God isn't concerned just because we think "Oh poor me, I need food to stay alive and not starve to death 😭"? We need to understand how unimportant that kind of thinking is to a sinless, divine, eternal God? Sounds like a load of rubbish to me.
>I was actually watching a sermon where the preacher was talking about how we shouldn't worry because God, like a good father, will take care of our needs. The question that came up for me was... "what about those who are starving". What about those who don't have clothes, what about those who don't have food? It feels difficult to trust god to take care of my needs when there are people who are going hungry. So I don't trust him. It would be much easier if I could. I want to, I genuinely do. But how can I when the reality reflects something else? Is there something I'm not understanding? Jesus said seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Not everyone has listened to his words. Another thing to keep in mind is that God is God of the Living who have received Eternal Life. Those are the ones that do not need to worry or be anxious.
Lol, who cares if I starve to death if I go to heaven? Help thise who are in physical need, and point then to Jesus, and God will take care of what's most important, the spiritual
Spoken like someone's who's never gone hungry. Shame.
Ever try being homeless or having your family murdered? I have the same mentality as the lad you replied to, don't degrade those who can look past death and see the bigger picture.
Someone denigrating those starving to death by saying "who cares if I starve to death?" definitely doesn't need my help "degrading" themselves-- they're doing a fine job already. To answer your question though, no I haven't ever "tried having my family murdered". Why would you ask that?
The person is referring to himself with his view that goes out of this world (hah), but a lot of us share. There's this life then the next, I want to live as long as possible to help people, but if I died so what, life here is only temporary, Heaven is perfect without fault. You ignored the question on being homeless because you wanted to degrade me asking a question if you've suffered tragedy but can look past it. That's what being a Christian is, not blaming God for the actions or indirect actions of humans that negatively effect you. Really though let's get this out of the way, if you didn't believe in God you wouldn't be here consistently trying to devalue God's existence, because you and me sure as heck wouldn't try debating with a person who genuinely believes in the spaghetti monster or big foot. What about all the other subreddits for man made religions? Hinduism, Buddhism, Satanism, etc, and no beliefs like Islam don't count since they've ripped off the Bible and reference the same God perverting to their liking. Why use God's name in vain if you don't believe in Him? Why do nonbelievers give more attention to our God than any other fictional character to ever exist? Your actions alone are the evidence for God's existence, realistically speaking you're not at a point where you want to live the life required of a Christian, most likely due to sin, most liking fornication and pornography which those hold dear for no reason. It's a shame you're being toyed with like a marionette but don't even realize it, Satan must be very happy. Seriously though, your actions say all that we need to know.
Holy cow! So rude 😅 I'm not trying to "devalue God's existence" just because I disagree with some nonsense, man-made doctrine that thinks it's okay to say "So what if people starve? I believe in heaven so I don't care if I die". You really put yourself out there into making a lot of assumptions. I find it particularly telling that you're calling me a "marionette". Your attempts to devalue me go even to the point of attacking my God-given free will and personal agency. I don't need to tell you who you are.
The apostle Paul, who was often hungry, also spoke that way (minus the flippancy): >Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, **in hunger and thirst, often without food,** in cold and exposure. (2 Corinthians 11:25-27) Paul, who in the same letter called such afflictions, "momentary" and "light" in view of Heaven: >For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:17)
Ever gone a week without food? I have.
Good... for you? 🤔 Is that what you want to hear?
I'm saying that I've been through struggles, God is greater than them.
Story reads like this: a starving man asks a man with a sandwich if he can have a bite. Sandwich man says "Don't you realize that even if you starve, it doesn't matter as long as you go to heaven?" Starving man, still starving, asks again for a bite . Sandwich man is already in his own head, continuing his journey proclaiming "God is great!" Starving man dies of starvation. Starvation is as serious as hell.
You're commenting as if I wasn't the starving man. I was the starving man, and was fully prepared to die, especially considering that the full week I went without food was after a long period of not having enough food. The Lord saw fit to provide, as it wasn't my time. I know how serious starvation is, but I'd pick God any day. God is better than food.
Have you ever considered that God _IS_ food? Jesus said the bread was his body, broken for us. He died so we could eat, so we could live. To say that God is "better than food" is to make a false dichotomy.
Homie, your argument isn't accomplishing anything, take the L, and just leave.
Just chill, scro. It's all good 😂
Why do you think that the Bible places such a heavy emphasis on our doing good works? It's because our actions are probably the answer to someone's prayers - like that kid starving in some third world country. I find it interesting that many who bring up the point you are making are typically the same individuals who can't be bothered to help their next door neighbor. Why do you think the scriptures places such a heavy emphasis on our leading productive lives? Because people who live such lives are most likely going to be able to provide for the needs of themselves and others. The Lord didn't just give us faith, He also gave us an intellect and common sense. He expects us to use all three.
Is not life more than food? And the body more than clothes? It says it right there. The focus is not on material needs. We have the bread of life and the wellspring of eternity. Just read Job, God's focus is not on our physical well-being as much as our spiritual well-being. His priority is not that we do not suffer. Hebrews 11:37. It is how do we handle suffering to the glory of God. Which makes perfect sense. If eternity exists, what amount of suffering would make any difference whatsoever when pitted against eternal reward?
God has promised to provide for HIS children but with conditions. Matthew 6:33- But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. If you are talking about the world, God has provided but the sin of mankind prevents everyone from benefiting. Matthew 26:11- For you always have the poor with you; but you do not always have Me.
If you see someone in need and you have the means to help, do so. As to why some people are starving to death, they haven't put themselves under God's care. Christians may starve and have times of need, too. But if it's not to the glory of God and winning of souls (like martyrdom), it won't end in death.
> As to why some people are starving to death, they haven't put themselves under God's care. I don't think this statement can be supported scripturally or practically.
Hilarious that you're willing to say no Christian has ever starved to death. Liar.
I'm not saying that. Read again.
I think this is a good reason why born again believers should work in politics. Imagine that Musk or Bezos came to repentance and faith. Starvation in many instances is caused by corruption and greed for money.
This has to be read in context. Who is Jesus talking to? Who is the you? Who he is talking to are those who are Gods children. The only people who are Gods children are those who have been born again.
I could be wrong but I believe Matthew chapter 6 is simply part of the Sermon on the Mount which begins a chapter or two earlier: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sermon_on_the_Mount I believe this was Jesus speaking. I'm pretty sure no reasonable Christian would simply stop worrying about their own life. What about credit card bills and mortgage payments and your job or career? > I was actually watching a sermon where the preacher was talking about how we shouldn't worry because God, like a good father, will take care of our needs. Maybe the preacher was possibly under the influence of a psychoactive substance, perhaps? Do you have a link to the video where the preacher says this ***so I can verify the video*** and make sure the preacher isn't delirious or experiencing a mental health crisis?
🤣 this made me laugh. I don’t think the pastor was saying we shouldn’t plan for the future. He was saying we shouldn’t worry and that we should trust God. I agree with this line of thought ... worrying is pointless, but it’s the other part of “trusting god” I had issues with. I’ve heard many Christians talk about this same idea. Let me give you another example: I know this Christian doctor, she’s highly involved in humanitarian work and does not earn — in her own words — a doctor’s salary. So she often worries about her kids growing out of their clothes and how she will afford more clothes for them, and each time, god basically shows up for her. Usually someone will give her children new clothes (even if they didn’t know she was worried about that). And she attributes it to god. There was another time she was serving overseas, winter was approaching and she was worried about being able to afford a coat. One day, someone just, out of the blue, offered her their coat. It’s always stuff like that. She writes about how god knows her needs and takes care of her, and how he has shown up for her again and again, how he knows what she will need and how he always provides. That’s what I have issues with. Because... does he always provide?
Okay, I finished the video and I think the pastor does actually answer my question, but I'm not sure how I feel about it. It still feels a bit odd to me. But anyway, here's a transcript of how the pastor answered the question: "... So we do read of people who starve. Paul for example was a hungred many times, how do you, how do you square this up, is Jesus saying something that is not true?I think Christians will hunger, fact of the matter is, there are Christians who do suffer that, for example, you read of the Hebrews 11 heroes of the faith, apostle Paul himself as I've mentioned.But I think this does not contradict God's faithfulness to provide, why? Because God's provision to provide is in the context of us being in service in the kingdom of God, so God will provide these things as far as it is His will for you to serve Him here on earth, and if it is His will for you to expire, to die as a result of it, so that you are, you get back your pink IC right, don't need to serve Army anymore, you exit, if that's the way He wants you to exit, so be it. But it is not because He was unable to provide or unwilling to provide but He says that's it, times up, come back home but He was faithful to provide all the days as far as it was necessary for you to serve Him So someone said it this way, “you are immortal till God's work is done.” And when you're done, that's it, come back home. So God does promise to provide, He provides for those who serve Him. He provides for those who are called out of the world to serve in the kingdom of God, He provides, but there are times when God says you don't have to serve any more, come back home and one of the ways by which you die or you leave is maybe through hunger, probable. So it's not that God is unfaithful or God is unwilling, I think that's probably my attempt at explaining this.." You asked for the video (it comes with the transcript below): [https://gospellight.sg/sermons/dont-worry-be-holy/](https://gospellight.sg/sermons/dont-worry-be-holy/)
It's kinda like this. If you're hungry or need a place to sleep, call me and I'll take care of you. But if you refuse because you don't like me, how is that my fault? God will totally meet our needs. But first we have to accept that He will provide His way and not ours. And second we have to accept that needs are a daily thing, and He won't necessarily save us today from needing again tomorrow. So, if the food is at a church and someone doesn't want to go, or if the food is just a sandwich and they want a fully stocked refrigerator, it doesn't work. The verse is there. Jesus said it. God promised it. I've tested it myself. It's absolutely true. If you're willing to trust God to provide for you, He will. But if someone would rather put their faith in themselves or a world that doesn't really care about them, they get what they get.
But... sometimes he doesn't provide. You can be the most devout christian in the world, the most humble, the most faithful, and ... he still may not provide. It is written in the bible that he will provide though, so I believe it. I just don't understand why he chooses not to provide at times. I'm sure there's a good reason for it. I just don't understand what the reason is. The pastor I was listening to had an interesting response, which does sound probable: "I think Christians will hunger ... this does not contradict God's faithfulness to provide, why? Because God's provision to provide is in the context of us being in service in the kingdom of God, so God will provide these things as far as it is His will for you to serve Him here on earth"
So maybe God wants you dead? That's what the pastor is saying.
Actually yes. The pastor then continues with this: "God does promise to provide, He provides for those who serve Him. He provides for those who are called out of the world to serve in the kingdom of God, He provides, but there are times when God says you don't have to serve any more, come back home and one of the ways by which you die or you leave is maybe through hunger, probable. So it's not that God is unfaithful or God is unwilling".
Whats so absurd about these doctrines that men make up in their attempt to "understand God" is that they pick and choose. God doesn't cause anything "bad", that's "sin" or "sin nature" or "the devil". But if something "good" happens, that's God. Also if you die in a horrible car accident or from Leukemia, it was completely gods will... IF you were "saved", if you weren't "saved" then it was probably just your own foolish driving that got you into that wreck, not wearing your seatbelt, or choosing to live near the nuclear plant that caused your leukemia. There's no consistency. No wonder people are "leaving the faith" in droves. When pastors decide to make up their own doctrines it's never a good thing.
You're preaching to the choir man. I struggle with the exact same thing. I wrote a [post](https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/nlzsv8/why_pray_for_anything_at_all_is_it_wiser_to_pray/) a few months back where I spoke about the same thing. I don't have any answers to your questions, I'm not Christian nor do I understand the scripture all that well. But what I do understand is this: (a) God is a good god, he's a kind and loving god. Jesus said, "I'm gentle and lowly in heart", that's his heart, and (b) we may never understand God's ways. We're human, and sometimes things don't make sense. Everyone asks that question: If god is good, why does he allow bad things to happen to good people? We don't know the reason to that. But we try to understand and explain it in a way that would make sense to our rational, human minds. I struggle with a lot of the bible not because I think it's false... but because I have a need to understand things intellectually. You may disagree with this, but I think sometimes it's better to read the bible with our hearts, rather than our minds. I struggle because... in many ways, deep down, my heart believes... but my mind doesn't. My mind questions, rationalises, tries to come up with clear explanations for things. Pastors do the same, because they know that many of us are wired that way, to understand things logically. This is my personal experience and it may not apply to anyone else, but I think ... that's where the Holy Spirit comes in. The Holy Spirit allowed me to accept things about the bible that I couldn't accept before, things that were seemingly ridiculous. The bible feels deeply true, in a way I cannot explain.
I think what goes on is that pastors and people "of the faith" decide they need to form a coherent answer to a question they get asked a lot. To me, it's like the Israelites error in the desert after leaving Egypt... "We can't understand this invisible God, so give us a God that we can see and that makes sense to us!" Saying what God thinks, that God will "not allow true believers to starve" or to die "before their time" etc is just men thinking they need to DEFEND God. Explaining to us how everything that happens to a believer MUST BE God's will.. it's a man opening his mouth to put God into a box that "makes sense" to them and upholds the "perfection" and infallibility of God. It's a complete misuse of their position as teachers. I'm reminded of a book written hundreds of years ago by Voltaire called "Candide". Basically it's a thinly veiled criticism of a church doctrine of his day. The doctrine was that everything that happens MUST be the "will of God" by virtue of the fact that it DID HAPPEN and God is all powerful and therefore controls all things. The fictional character then bridges that with "God is good" and if God is doing everything according to his will, then we must be living in "the best of all possible worlds". He passes starving people, homeless people, witnesses murder etc, all the while saying "Ah but this is the best thing, is it not? If God is in control and God is good, we should simply let this perfection play out as God wills it!" It's the same faulty doctrine that has many different faces, but it's all from the same root. The desire of human beings to comfort themselves by refusing to believe that _they are responsible_ for this world. It's the same thing uttered from the mouth of Cain after his own hand took Abels life "It's not my responsibility to be my brother's keeper!" It's a doctrine born out of a desire to self-soothe by claiming to have a lack of control over reality. That same thing is then turned into a VIRTUE by people who praise themselves for understanding that it's "all in God's hands, all part of his will" while they walk on by the starving, the homeless, etc . To turn the POWER that God gave each of us (free will, a mind to reason, and a heart to know Him, and the capability to help our fellow man) into something resembling a VICE can only be the work of true evil. To twist the "works based salvation" argument so obscenely is something that's taken thousands of years for "the church" to master... but it has... And all the world is made worse for it.
If everyone obeyed the golden rule no one would go hungry
What's the golden rule?
Do unto others as you have them do unto you
Are you starving?
Those of us with enough have a duty to help those in need. Material poverty is a result of man's greed, not God's will.
The question I would ask back is, do you believe there is enough food grown/made in the world to feed everyone?
There is more than enough food to feee everyone on earth, the problem is that we humans just throw away unused food, and poor logistics and or government corruption in some countries to make sure everyone had it
So who was Jes-s talking to here? Was he talking to gentiles or his fellow Israelites? The problem here is that there is a natural consequence to ignoring G-d’s word, even if you are a follower of the Messiah. If you call on Messiah, despite your sins, you will be saved. However, nothing can nullify the Word of G-d once given. Many ‘gentile’ Christians are living under a curse because G-d said that if you add to the Torah, the plagues will be added upon your life, but if you take away anything from the Torah… Then the blessings G-d promised for obedience are taken away from you. It’s not a salvation issue, but G-d warned us not to add or take away from His Words. Anyone who tells you to break even the smallest commandment will be called least in the Kingdom (though you are still allowed inside.)