God is the One Who Gives Us What We Need

Inside: God knows what we need and provides exactly that. Even when it comes to situations and circumstances we wouldn’t have chosen for ourselves. ~

“Great is Thy Faithfulness” has been a favorite hymn since I was a little girl, but I didn’t discover its biblical roots until I was in my mid 20s and longing to become a mom.

The lyricist, Thomas Chisholm, was inspired by Lamentations 3:22-23: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

This scripture was a source of comfort as months of trying to get pregnant turned into years, and then more years of waiting to adopt our older daughter. During that second phase of waiting, a line from the chorus of the hymn I had sung my entire life took on new meaning.

“Great is thy faithfulness,
Great is thy faithfulness,
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed thy hand hath provided;
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.”

A Subtle Shift

One day when I was typing away in my prayer journal while listening to this hymn, the phrase “all I have needed thy hand hath provided” grabbed my attention. What does that mean, really? I wondered.

As I worked it over in my mind, the order suddenly changed.

Thy hand hath provided everything I have needed. Or, said differently, Everything I need, you’ve given to me.

Do you get the subtle shift?

“God, you knew that I needed infertility, and your hand provided it,” I wrote. “You knew it was the only way you were going to get me to where you wanted me, and I thank you for providing it. In some odd way, it was a gift to me. A gift of your love and grace, a gift that you gave me because you knew what I needed to make me more like you.”

Looking Back

Reading what I wrote now, more than two decades later, a few thoughts come to mind. First, just to be clear, I would never tell another woman who was dealing with infertility that her struggle was a gift from God. Second, if I were writing about the same subject in that journal today, I would probably express my thoughts and feelings a bit differently.

That said, I still believe God sovereignly provides what we need, whether we would have chosen it for ourselves or not. He has good purposes for whatever He allows, even when we don’t understand.

This truth—as expressed in the line from “Great is Thy Faithfulness”—has come back to me often this year. I still don’t have definitive answers—or even any good guesses—about why I was hit by a car while riding my bike last March. But I do trust that God knows.

Our Portion

Which leads me to the next verse in Lamentations 3: “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” (vs. 4)

As our portion, God knows what we need and provides exactly that. Nothing less, just enough. As a result, we are able to wait for Him. Even when the wait gets long and we might not even know what we’re waiting for.

We can wait in confidence, because we know that whatever we’re going through, He has provided because He knew we needed it.

• • •

What has God allowed in your life that you may not have seen as His provision at the time? Please share in the comments.

♥ Lois

P.S. I’m linking up this week with InstaEncouragements, Let’s Have Coffee and Grace & Truth.