Sharing is caring!

12 Bible Verses About Provision and What They Say About God Providing

Are you looking for some financial sanity? Do you feel like your money is out of control and you are not sure how you will pay all the bills this month? Jesus teaches us that financial sanity begins with believing that you really do have a heavenly father who will supply what you need. 

The unique thing about God is that He knows exactly what we need. Even if at times we don’t agree with his provision, we must trust that God, also known as Jehovah Jireh, meaning “the Lord will provide,” ultimately knows what is best for us and that He has our best interests in mind. 

When a child asks a parent if they can eat a whole bag of candy right before bed, most of the time that parent is going to say no. Not because they don’t love their child, but because they know that eating the bag of candy is not what they need and will ultimately do more harm than good at that moment.

The child may put up a fit and feel as though their parent is not loving. That parent made the decision out of a protective love for their child. 

How many times do we do that when God provides differently than we originally imagined? We pray and plead with God for certain provisions, and when they don’t happen, we doubt God’s goodness.

So in this article, we are going to look at some Bible verses about God, providing and laying out three important lessons to understand when it comes to God providing for us. 

Here’s the big list of money topics in the Bible, and here is a list of over 100 Bible verses about money.

12 Bible Verses About Provision 

Genesis 9:3 (NIV)
Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

Philippians 4:19 (NIV)
And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 21:22 (ESV) 
And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

Matthew 6:31-33 (NIV) 
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Matthew 7:11 (NIV)
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Luke 12:24 (NIV)
Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!

Psalm 107:9 (ESV) 
For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

Job 38:41 (NIV)
Who provides food for the raven
and wander about for lack of food?

Psalm 34:10 (NIV)
The lions may grow weak and hungry,but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Malachi 3:10 (NIV)
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Psalm 145:15-16 (ESV)
 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV)
And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Related: Over 100 Bible Verses About Money

What Does the Bible Say About God Providing?

So what do we have to learn from these Bible verses about provision and what do they teach us about God providing? 

God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. It is to his delight that he provides for our needs. In fact, the Gospel is a story of God’s incredible provision for us. God so loved the world that he gave his only son. Not only that, but then Jesus gave his life for us so that we may live. 

These are the two major provisions we see in the Bible, but there are a number of other ways God has provided for his people. God provided exactly what was needed for his people. But if you recall, many of God’s own people rejected the way he provided for them. 

They did not believe that Jesus was the king they were promised and definitely the king that they needed. We all know how that story ends… God knew exactly what his people (us included) needed, and that is what he provided. 

God has taken the responsibility to provide for us, and supply what is needed to thrive. Even though the way he may provide for us at times seems not at all like what you need, it is our duty to trust him. 

3 Important Lessons About God’s Provision 

God’s provision comes after having faith

Matthew 21:22, Matthew 6:31-33, Psalm 34:10

Something that I have become increasingly more aware of is not simply the promise of God’s provision, but what God requires of us before he provides; and that is our faith. It is not merely enough to ask God to provide for our daily needs, but we must trust him and his goodness to provide. 

God deeply desires for us to trust him even when the circumstances seem less favorable. We are taught in Proverbs 3:5-6 to trust in the Lord and lean not on our own understandings, but to acknowledge Him and when we do, He will make our paths straight. God is testing to see if we will trust him even before he provides, even before we know what will happen in the end. 

It takes a bit of risk on our ends to trust God, but the risk we take is far less than the risk that God took for us sending Jesus to save us from ourselves. Why? Because it is God’s character, and his promise, that when we have faith he will provide! 

God provides exactly what we need

Psalm 145:15-16, Genesis 2:16-17

The things that God provides for us are exactly what we need to thrive. Not only does God provide for us exactly what we need, but he leaves out the things that will surely lead to darkness. 

Take for example Adam and Eve – they were given an abundance of good food to choose from in the garden God placed them in. God warned them not to eat from one of the probably thousands of other trees available. They made a choice and decided that the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was what they needed. 

How many times do we act in a similar fashion? God warns us that focusing on material possessions will surely lead to darkness and destruction in our own lives. But you and I both know how tempting it is to chase after those exact things. 

We must pray for God’s daily bread to be enough for us – and it is ultimately all that we need to feel fulfilled and satisfied. 

God’s provision is not for our own personal fulfilment

2 Corinthians 9:8, Malachi 3:10

God has taken the primary burden of providing off of our boulders and placed it upon his own. 

Because of this, we are freed to have a grander vision for our money than just simple personal provision. This is an important piece to understand as you build up a biblical view of the financial resources God has given you and ultimately toward experiencing financial sanity. 

Jesus answered, “You’ve come looking for me not because you saw God in my actions but because I fed you, filled your stomachs—and for free.
“Don’t waste your energy striving for perishable food like that. Work for the food that sticks with you, food that nourishes your lasting life, food the Son of Man provides. He and what he does are guaranteed by God the Father to last.”

John 6:26-27 MSG

Giving and generosity have always been a part of God’s redemptive plan for the world through us. Because of God’s generous provision, we are free from financial self-focus and free to be a part of his mission of generosity on earth. So don’t strive to simply be fulfilled like Jesus explains in John 6:26. Because simple provision like that will sure perish and you will go hungry again.

You are given the exact resources that are necessary in order to carry out the unique and specific calling on your life. Are you currently using your money to fund this calling?

Not only is our generosity a way to honor God with your money, but also a way to point others to him. 

Why Doesn’t God Provide What I Pray For? 

There are a number of good reasons that God doesn’t provide what we pray for at times. Whether it is that our desires are not aligned with God’s, we are focused too much on ourselves, God has something better in mind, or something else entirely. 

Our duty is to submit ourselves to him, and trust that God has a very good reason for not giving us things that we pray for even if that means never receiving the thing we prayed for. We must keep our eyes fixed on God, not what we think is missing from our lives. 

When we take our focus off of all that God has already provided us, and dwell on all that we are lacking, it is practically inevitable that we will try to fulfil our desires in our own way. When we try to become independent from God’s good and perfect provision, we will never truly feel satisfied. There will always be something else we feel we need or deserve. 

What you and I really seek is joy – and the kind of lasting and deeply satisfying joy that our souls need only comes from God’s provision. 

What else have you learned about God providing? Are there any other Bible verses about provision you would add to this list? 

You May Also Like
8 Biblical Truths on How Christians Should Handle Their Finances
What Does the Bible Say About Budgeting? 
5 Steps to Biblically Redeeming Your Finances
7 Lies Christians Believe About Money

Let's Get Social!