Week 4, day 3: Where is our work drive coming from?
“Give us today our daily bread.” (NIV)
“Give us today the food we need.” (Good News)
Lizzie Jackson writes:
To me this is a reminder of God’s provision, something I will never fully grasp but he has definitely spoken to me about recently. To me, believing that God will provide is not just to say so before getting on with your daily life, but to actively prioritise God, knowing that your earthly needs will be accounted for.
I am currently studying for mid-term exams. This year of medical school is the year that study leave disappears. Our lectures now go right up to the first exam. Gone are the days of 4 weeks off to study. I know that I could block out all hours of the day for studying and cancel all other responsibilities, it might be an impressive work ethic but would it really be glorifying God? Its important to give time to other things- even though it might mean getting lower grades.
My instinct says that’s an excuse for being lazy, but its quite likely that this desire to study all day doesn’t come from a work ethic but a fear of failure, a lack of understanding that my career really is in God’s hands. Full marks is not necessary for me to be able to live out God’s purposes and would only really benefit my ego. At that point I’m using my time to worship exam success rather than God because I’m not trusting in his provision.
When reading Ecclesiastes in the Summer, God really spoke to me over Ecclesiastes 5:19-20. “God keeps them occupied with a gladness of heart!” Are we working down to the bone when we actually don’t need to? We could be trusting in God’s provision that the money lost from taking on a morning’s volunteering wont change his promise to provide. The sheer simplicity of that verse strips back the stress, the worry, the demands and tells us to enjoy our day to day.
Does my life look different to the lives of those who don’t believe there is a God providing for them? Why not? Where can I commit my needs to God and take a leap of faith? I think it’s time for me to cook dinner for my family more often instead of always studying into the evening and when I catch myself worrying about a mid-term exam, lifting my eyes back to God so he can put it into perspective. He knows what we want and what we need and he promises to provide when we serve him first.