One of my life verses is Proverbs 29:25 (ESV), “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is safe.” 

The Lord gave me this verse several years ago when he was teaching me how bold I was when I trusted in him. I have learned to speak up when necessary and trust God for the results. Sometimes God gives me messages that are scary to repeat (like when he gave me the message for the BLM guy). I have determined in my heart to obey God, deliver whatever message he gives me, and trust him with the results. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it. 

A New Application

Recently God has shown me another application to this verse. Have you heard about all the “accidents” that have destroyed our food processing plants in the US? There have been fires and planes crashing into these plants, destroying them. These news stories have me concerned we will face a massive food shortage very soon. Are we going to walk into empty grocery stores again? I remember walking around the grocery stores in 2020, seeing so many empty shelves. It went far beyond not being able to buy toilet paper. There were empty shelves where meat and veggies were supposed to be. It was eerie. 

Yesterday I found myself worrying about how to make sure I have extra food on hand to feed my family. Then I heard the Lord tell me, “The fear of man lays a snare, but those who trust in the LORD are safe.” It occurred to me that in all situations I need to trust the Lord. I can’t fear what man may be doing to sabotage our food supply. Worrying about what we will eat is something Jesus himself told us not to worry about. 

No Need To Worry

“Therefore I (Jesus) tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?… And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew‬ ‭6:25-27, 31-34‬ (‭ESV) (emphasis added)‬‬

We, as children of God, do not need to worry about the future. Jesus told us he knows we need to eat, and he will provide us food. We need to seek God’s kingdom and his righteousness, knowing in his kingdom there is no such thing as lack. As citizens of God’s kingdom, we will never be without anything we need. Our Father will see to it that we are provided for. He is our provider. The government isn’t your provider. Your job isn’t your provider. That investment you made isn’t your provider. No, God the Father is your provider. He will make sure you have all you need. Our job is to trust him. 

Trust Is Our Foundation

Our foundation is trust. We trust Jesus for the gift of salvation and eternal life. We trust what is written in the Bible is the Word of God. As believers, we trust that every word in the Bible is true. Do we really live like we believe the Bible is truthful? Proverbs 3:5-6 (ESV) says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs‬ ‭3:5-6‬ ‭(ESV‬‬) 

We must not focus on what things may look like around us. I’m not saying we need to bury our heads in the sand and be uninformed of what is going on in our world. Now, more than ever, we need to wake up and see the truth of what is happening in our world. However, we DO NOT need to worry and fret over seeing the evil people in our world seemingly win. They may be winning some of these scrimmages, but they will never sustain their wins, nor will they win the final war. The enemy can never maintain anything they have control over. They can only do what they see their father doing: kill, steal, and destroy. 

In the meantime, God is preparing HIS people to prosper in circumstances that seem impossible to thrive in. How will we thrive in a hostile world? We trust! We trust the Lord to provide, even when it seems impossible. Remember to trust him no matter what it looks like. We can’t rely on our understanding and knowledge. We must rely on God’s understanding and knowledge. God sees the end and is really good at creating something out of nothing. 

Just Remember

Think of all the times we’ve seen God make things last for those people who trusted him to be their provider. I think of the widow who never ran out of oil or flour when Elijah came to stay. What about feeding over 5,000 people with just a couple of fish and a few loaves of bread? God will always provide for those who trust him and whom he has adopted into his family. 

Does this mean we shouldn’t start preparing for more difficult times? By no means. I do believe God shows his people the future so that we can prepare. Think about the dream God gave the Pharaoh when Joseph was in prison. God warned the Pharaoh to stock up on food because there was going to be seven years of famine. Thankfully, the Pharaoh listened, and his people and those living in the surrounding countries survived the famine. God knew his people, Jacob and family, were going to need to use the extra food in Egypt and provided a way for that to happen. 

What I’ve Done

I personally have been buying a little extra each week. I bought a chest freezer to store extra meat, frozen veggies, and frozen fruit. I also have started a vegetable garden (which is way harder than I thought it would be). I am taking steps to ensure we will have what we need in the future should we discover we are in a famine once again. My prayer is that God will bless my efforts in planting a garden and I will be able to give most of it away to the neighbors who may need food during this upcoming time. Even if I’m wrong and we don’t find ourselves in a famine, I hope to have a surplus of veggies to give away. What a great way of showing God’s love to my neighbors! 

I encourage you to start storing a little extra, just in case. Yes, be prepared. Above all, keep your focus on God’s kingdom. Remember HE is your provider. Continue to look to Jesus for guidance, and he will show you the straight path to go down. Don’t worry, but also don’t be lazy and stick your head in the sand and pretend there is nothing negative going on. 

God will provide for his people. He has proven this time and time again. Today is no different. This is a time we get to strengthen our faith and trust muscles. When we arrive on the other side of all this craziness, we will be more spiritually fit than we are right now. I’ve learned that tough times are actually really good times because we get to put into practice all we say we believe. Remember to trust God first, seek his kingdom, and he promises to provide for us!