When the girls were younger we took them whale watching in Cape Cod. Seeing those whales the size of school buses right beside of our boat was awesome. They blew out bubbles to trap the krill, it looked like a chain link fence, with very small holes, going down as far as I could see. Blue whales weigh in around 180 tons and are over 32 yards long. They feed almost exclusively on krill which are very small, shrimp-like crustaceans that grow to a little over two inches long! The whales need to eat up to four tons of krill every day! Thankfully, for the whales, they swim in groups of more than 30,000! God provides for the whales!
When the girls were in middle school we swam with the manatee in the spring fed waters of Crystal River, Florida. Manatee, an endangered species, are known as the humblest creatures on our planet. They weigh 1,000 pounds and grows up to 10 feet long on average. They hang around in groups so we saw about 75 swimming together. We were closely watched and not allowed to approach them but they could approach us. And they did, reminding me of a big puppy dog wanting to snuggle. When Ivey got back in the boat, one of the manatee kept trying to get her to come back in the water! We even watched a mother manatee nursing her baby. They feed almost exclusively on plants that grow in fresh and saltwater environments. God provides for the manatee!
Both of these experiences were very spiritual to me. God was showing me Matthew 6: 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?" God was reminding me He will provide! Philippians 4: 19, "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." God just wants us to trust Him with this! The Israelites were told not to collect any more food than they needed for a day God wanted them to rely totally on Him! Paul understood this. Since he had become a Christian serving the Lord, he faced many needs. He had been thrown in prison, faced persecution and been mistreated by people who hated him. Faithfully, God provided every time.
I read a devotional recently by Chuck Musselwhite who said, "Did you know that while the Israelites were in the wilderness, their clothes and sandals never wore out? They never had to replace any of those during their time in some of the harshest conditions. Walking all those miles from Egypt to Canaan would've worn out even the sturdiest shoes, but none of theirs did." My modern day example is how that check comes in the day after the unexpected bill comes in and for the exact amount! Yep, God just works it out!
Think back to just a few months ago. I remember going to my favorite grocery store and many of the shelves were bare and there was not much meat or fresh vegetables. I felt an uncertainty I had never experienced before. My mind started fast forwarding to how I would feed my family. Sometimes we get overwhelmed at obstacles in front of us that seem too big! Matthew 6: 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?"
God wants us to trust Him with whatever you have going on. He also wants us to ask Him. Mark 10: 36, “'What do you want me to do for you?' he asked." You have probably heard James 4: 2, "You do not have because you do not ask God." Nothing is too big for God and He wants us to ask HIm and let Him show off for us. But God does not promise to give us everything we want. Sometimes He will say no, sometimes He will say wait and sometimes He will answer differently. Trust Him to give us what we need in order to fulfill his purpose for our lives.