Counting Every Blessing – Week 2
Notes
Transcript
The Blessing of Provision
Only 11 days until Thanksgiving!
Continue the series – Counting Your Blessings
Last week – thankful for God’s grace – salvation, transformation, universality – should be at the top of the list – so many other things – one person said “roof” – another said “chocolate”
Today in our sermon time I will continue talking about Counting Every Blessing! Seems like it’s a consensus among mental health professionals that a spirit of gratitude is beneficial to us (as I would expect given the Bible repeatedly tells us to be thankful). One study I recently came across listed these benefits of gratitude:
Benefits of Gratitude
Boosts Mental Well-Being
Reduces Stress and Negative Impact
Builds Self-Esteem and Resilience
Promotes Optimism in Tough Times
Aids in Goal Setting & Personal Growth
Enhances Sleep and Physical Health
Looks like a no-brainer that we should cultivate this attitude of thankfulness. I’ll remind us today of what we can be grateful for and share with you some strategies to grow in being thankful.
Strategies for Cultivating Thankfulness
Write a thank-you note
Thank someone mentally
Keep a gratitude journal
Count your blessings
Pray
Be thankful for just being there – for existing
Every wonder how you got here - how we as humans got here?
Introduced to evolution in 5th grade by Mr. Pare. Here’s a very basic explanation from what I remember:
Ages ago there was a primordial soup – a puddle of mud – that had all the ingredients for life – lightning struck it and life began – very simple, maybe only one cell – but given enough time that became a creature – seems like I remember a tadpole – more time passes and here we are – human beings
Mr. Pare said it, so I believed it – but after a while I was introduced to another explanation
Genesis 1 – God created it all – all the animals, plants and even us
Now the creation story doesn’t answer all the questions – it does require me to believe in a being who is separate from creation – a being for which the laws of nature don’t apply because this being is super-natural – so there are unanswered questions for sure
But, Mr. Pare’s explanation had some explaining to do as well:
His theory required me to believe that something happened in that soup that doesn’t happen naturally – something unlive became alive – maybe there’s an explanation for that but it still seems a little out there.
His theory also never answered the question, “Where did the puddle of mud come from?” – and I think that’s a big question.
So, when I compare Mr. Pare’s story with the Genesis story they both have unanswered questions, but there are a few other things that have swayed by belief in favor of Genesis.
I could almost accept Mr. Pare’s story if there were only a bunch of primitive creatures sunning around earth – like a bunch of cockroaches – maybe they could have come from the puddle of mud
But I see all the different animals and the more I think about the more unlikely it is to me that some undirected accident could have done that.
And then I look at human beings and not only are we alive – our lungs breathe – our blood circulates – our heart pumps – our stomachs digest … We are so much more than that – we love – we grieve – we reason – we communicate – we are moral beings – where was all that in the puddle of mud
Then there’s one other thing I want to talk about – and I have it in this bag – somehow the puddle of mud made things that we could eat that would keep us alive (pull food from the bag) – He has provided all these things for us
Today I want us all to say thank you to God for all His provisions. God didn’t just make us. He cares for us. He provides for us. Not with just food, but in so many ways He provides. We can lose sight of that, can’t we?
I think Jesus wanted to assure us that God is a Provider.
Read Matthew 6:25-34 from Jesus’s most famous sermon:
Matthew 6:25–32 (NIV) — 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
God Knows Our Needs and Provides for Them
God Knows Our Needs and Provides for Them
These verses remind us of something foundational: God knows our needs before we even ask.
It's easy to get caught up in anxiety over our circumstances. Will we have enough to make ends meet? What about the challenges ahead? But Jesus points us to the birds and the flowers—creatures with no ability to store or plan for the future, yet they are provided for. How much more will God, who loves us dearly, take care of us? Worry is not only unproductive but also a sign of distrust in God's provision. Worrying in the present steals our peace in the future.
In Philippians 4:19, Paul reassures the church by saying, "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." It’s not a question of whether God will provide; it’s a matter of trusting Him to do so. The problem is not that we doubt God’s ability, but that we sometimes fail to see the bigger picture of His provision. His provision may not always look the way we expect it to, but it is always what we need. When we look back over our lives, we can see how God has been faithful time and time again.
There have been times when I worried – there still are – times when money was low – job wasn't paying – people dropped off groceries at my office – envelopes of money slipped under my door – an unexpected insurance refund – God has always provided
Now take some time to reflect on your own life. Think of times when He provided in ways that were unexpected, or even when His provision came through others. God's care for us extends far beyond material things—it’s about our spiritual, emotional, and relational needs, too. He is a good Father who knows exactly what we need… and because of this reality we can learn to be content no matter what the circumstances are.
Living with Contentment: Recognizing That God Has Already Provided
Living with Contentment: Recognizing That God Has Already Provided
It’s one thing to recognize that God provides for our needs, but it’s another to live with the contentment that comes from trusting in His provision. In today’s world, we are constantly bombarded with messages that tell us we need more—more money, more success, more of everything. But contentment is about realizing that we already have enough because God is enough.
Paul writes in Philippians 4:12-13, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation... I can do all this through him who gives me strength."
Contentment doesn’t come from having everything we want; it comes from trusting in God's provision and being at peace with what He has already provided.
This is a crucial point… Actually it's THE point.
Often, we are so focused on what we lack that we fail to see how much we have. And when we focus on what we lack, we lose our ability to live in gratitude. But when we learn to trust God’s provision and live contentedly in His grace, we open our hearts to receive even more blessings.
True contentment is not just about our material needs; it’s about spiritual and emotional provision as well. Do we trust that God is enough for us, even when life doesn’t go according to plan? Are we satisfied in Him alone, or are we constantly striving for more? Contentment is the key to living free from the grip of worry and comparison. It’s about recognizing that, in Christ, we already have everything we need.
Trusting God's Faithfulness in the Future
Trusting God's Faithfulness in the Future
Lastly, we can trust that God’s provision is not limited to our past or present but extends into the future.
Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:34 are as relevant today as they were then: "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Our tendency is to look ahead with anxiety—wondering how things will work out, whether we’ll have enough, and what challenges might come. But Jesus invites us to live in the present, trusting that God will continue to provide.
Trusting God for tomorrow doesn't mean we don’t plan or work hard, but it means we leave the future in His hands. God’s faithfulness is not a one-time thing—it’s ongoing. He has provided in the past, He is providing now, and He will provide in the future. We don’t need to fear the unknown because God already knows what lies ahead. He has promised to meet all of our needs according to His riches in glory. I’ll say again, worrying in the present steals our peace in the future.
This week, I encourage you to put this into practice. When you start to worry about the future—whether it’s financial concerns, health issues, or anything else—pause and remember God’s faithfulness. Instead of worrying, pray. Instead of stressing, trust.
God has been faithful before, and He will be faithful again.
As we reflect on the blessing of God’s provision, we are reminded that He knows our needs before we ask, that He calls us to live with contentment in what He has already provided, and that we can trust Him for the future. God’s provision is not just about material things—it’s about every area of our lives. He is a faithful Father who delights in meeting the needs of His children.
I want to leave you with three points of application this week:
Practice gratitude for what God has already provided: Spend time each day thanking God for specific ways He has provided for you—whether it’s spiritually, emotionally, or materially. Count your blessings, and name them one by one.
Cultivate contentment: Whenever you find yourself focusing on what you don’t have or comparing your life to others, pause and remind yourself that in Christ, you already have enough. Trust that God is your provider and let go of the need for more.
Trust God with your future: When worries about the future arise, turn them into prayers. Trust that the same God who provided for you in the past will continue to do so in the future. Surrender your worries to Him and rest in His faithfulness.
As you put these practices in place, I imagine you will feel the anxiety and worry leave your body… And the peace that transcends understanding will take their place.
Look back at those benefits:
Boosts Mental Well-Being
Reduces Stress and Negative Impact
Builds Self-Esteem and Resilience
Promotes Optimism in Tough Times
Aids in Goal Setting & Personal Growth
Enhances Sleep and Physical Health
That can all come as we live a life of thanksgiving to the God who provides! God is faithful – has been, always will be! And for that we can be thankful!
