Trusting in God Gives Simplicity

Trusting in God Gives Simplicity. My thoughts on this are kind of jumbled I have so many swirling around in my head, and its hard to organize them all so bear with me if this post is super unorganized. It was hard to even decide on the title to this one. I was listening to a podcast by Elisabeth Elliot, and talking with my husband about it among some scripture I had read. Elisabeth Elliot was talking about how if we truly believed the verse that talks about God supplying all our needs then we already have enough. We don’t need to be going out looking for something else. This was a response to her question in the beginning of the podcast about ,” How much is enough?”

Philippians 4:19

And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

This really got my husband and I thinking, because I had just read in the “Art of Divine Contentment” written by Thomas Watson about how distrust leads us to not be content. He talked about how we question God, and we often don’t truly believe that He will supply all our needs and try to do things on our own. I read and listened to all of these things on the same day, and then during my Bible reading last night I read these verses( We are reading through the Bible in a year).

Isaiah 55: 1-3

55 “Come, everyone who thirsts, 

come to the waters; 

and he who has no money, 

come, buy and eat! 

Come, buy wine and milk 

without money and without price. 

 2  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, 

and your labor for that which does not satisfy? 

Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, 

and delight yourselves in rich food. 

 3  Incline your ear, and come to me; 

hear, that your soul may live; 

and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, 

my steadfast, sure love for David.

Isaiah 55:8-11

 8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, 

neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. 

 9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 

so are my ways higher than your ways 

and my thoughts than your thoughts. 

 10  “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven 

and do not return there but water the earth, 

making it bring forth and sprout, 

giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 

 11  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; 

it shall not return to me empty, 

but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, 

and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiah 57: 13

3  When you cry out, let your collection of idols deliver you! 

The wind will carry them all off, 

a breath will take them away. 

But he who takes refuge in me shall possess the land 

and shall inherit my holy mountain. 

Trusting in God Gives Simplicity

If we are discontent when we distrust God, and therefore try to do things on our own such as thinking that we need more than we actually do and if we are not living in simplicity. If we are not content, because we are then desiring more, then trusting in God is important for simplicity. If we don’t trust in God to supply everything we need then we are always going to be looking for something to fill it.

Currently our world is dealing with the idea of rising prices to food, gas, and the possibility of food shortages and so on. It makes one want to be prepared and to worry. To then try to make lists of things they can do to prepare. I think that God does ask us sometimes to prepare ahead of time like he did Pharaoh in the dream interpreted by Joseph. But I think that I personally was getting lost in the talk of it among all kinds of people. I was lacking trust in God.

If I am not filling myself with God and His word, and trusting that he will supply all our needs then my simplicity is gone, because my contentment is then gone. I realized I needed to take a step back and realize that it’s ok to prepare if that is what God is asking of you, but sometimes He is not. Ultimately if we are trusting in God our minds are still, and our worries cease.

Trusting in God Makes Our Lives Less Complicated

If we simply are trusting that He will provide for us regardless, that makes everything so much less complicated. Therefore, it simplifies our lives and our minds. This was such a lightbulb moment for me, because I know that God is the one who I need to fill me in order to be content. But realizing that if I am not trusting in Him, and not filling myself with Him any kind of thought comes in. There is so much more I could say about this, but I just wanted to say if you are feeling worried about all the things the world has going on, that God has you in his hand. He is the living water. Trusting in God will give you Simplicity, because you will then be content.

John 4:13-14

¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst.Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 7:37-39

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.