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by Rhonda RheaIt’s just about time for my baby’s 2:00 feeding. He’s sixteen. It’s amazing how these teens revert back to infancy around this age. The feedings are about every two hours. As a matter of fact, I worry about frostbite. His head is only out of the refrigerator for short periods of time. I’m concerned that one of these days an ear could just snap off.
The other day I saw the back of his head in the fridge and I said, “Don’t eat dinner now. We’ll all be eating together in an hour or so.”
“This isn’t dinner. And don’t worry, I’ll be hungry in an hour.”
Not so. He was hungry again before the hour was up. And you should’ve seen the “snack.” A can of spaghettios with meatballs, a sandwich with enough lunch meat on it to feed a third world nation, a bowl of cereal, three-quarters of a bag of chips, a half a can of Spam, two glasses of milk and two rows of Oreos. For dinner I should just whip up a side of beef. Of course, it’s very possible it could take both sides.
This boy is definitely a carnivore. I’m starting to plan Thanksgiving fixings. How many turkeys will it take? Should I worry I’ll cause a run on the market? I’m picturing Andrew going back for another turkey leg - every two hours.
Thankfully, I have a God who meets every need. He meets our real needs, not just the meaty ones. Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”
He is ready and waiting to meet every real need. Of course, sometimes we get a little cloudy on the “real need” issue. Paul mentioned a few verses before in verses 11-13, “I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 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, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”
When we’re depending on the Need-meeter for our strength, we find our needs are surprisingly small. And we can have confidence that when we ask Him to meet those needs, He delights in answering. Earlier in the same chapter of Philippians, Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
That’s our thanksgiving charge. Recognize the Need-meeter for who He really is. Instead of fretting, give the anxious thoughts to God. All those worries - even concerns of snapping ears and turkey futures. And be thankful.
Who meets our real needs? Our Heavenly Father. Every two hours. Every hour. Every millisecond.
~ Rhonda Rhea writes award-winning inspirational humor columns for other Christian publications in the U.S. and Canada. Look for her new book, Amusing Grace, at your local Christian bookstore. Click here to see her website.
