What does this mean?
I believe that God has given me also clothing and shoes, meat and drink, house and home, wife and children, fields, cattle, and all my goods; that He richly and daily provides me with all that I need to support this body and life; that He defends me against all danger, and guards and protects me from all evil.
1. In the First Article of our Christian faith we say: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth." This means, as we have learned: I believe that God has made me and has given me my body and soul, eyes, ears, and all my members, my reason and all my senses, and still preserves them. God generally does not preserve us by His word and will alone, but through earthly means. In order to preserve our life and body, we must eat and drink, have clothing, house and home, etc. True, God could preserve us without these means. He is the Almighty. He has done so at times. He preserved Moses' life for forty days and nights without food and drink on Mount Sinai. Ex. 34,28. Jesus twice, as you know, fed several thousand people with a few loaves of bread and with a few fish. God can do so to-day, and He will do it if His children are in need of it. But generally it pleases God to preserve our body and life through outward means. God preserves me by providing me with all that I need to support my body and life.
2. I need many things to support my body and life. Our Catechism names quite a number of them. In order to support our life, we must have meat and drink. We must have clothing and shoes, house and home to protect our bodies from sunshine and rain. True, you have not everything that is named in our Catechism; but all these things are necessary to preserve our lives, and somebody must have them. The farmer must have fields and cattle to provide for his life and for the lives of many other people. All my goods, all that I need and have, clothing and shoes, meat and drink house and home, father and mother, brothers and sisters, were given me by God, my heavenly Father. "The eyes of all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their meat in due season Thou openest Thine hand and satisfiest the desire of every living thing." Ps. 145,15.16.
3. God provides me with all that I need to support my life. God generally does it through the work of our hands. He can do it without our work, or labor, and at times has done so. Remember how God gave manna from heaven to the children of Israel when they were in the desert. Deut. 8,3.4. Remember how He fed His prophet Elijah during the famine by sending the ravens to bring him his daily bread. 1 Kings 17. God can do the same thing to-day, and He certainly will do so whenever His children are in need of it. "Cast all your care upon Him; for He careth for you." 1 Pet. 5,7. As a rule, however, God wants us to work diligently and carefully to save what we earn. But still it is God that provides for us. He gives us strength and health for our work. He blesses our labors. Without His blessing all our labor would be in vain. "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it." Ps. 127,1.
4. God provides me with all that I need for mv life and body, and He does so richly and daily. God provides me richly. I have a rich Father. He is the Maker of heaven and earth. Everything belongs to Him. Out of His abundance He gives us richly all that we need, and often more than we need. He gives us daily, that is, He never tires of giving. Every morning He begins anew to bless us by giving us our daily bread.
5. One thing more is needed to preserve us. Our life and our body are in constant danger. But a child of God confesses: "He defends me against all danger, and guard and protects me from all evil." Remember how He defended the children of Israel against their enemies, the Egyptians, at the Red Sea. Ex. 13.14. Remember how He guarded His Son, the Christ- child, whom King Herod sought to kill. Matt. 2,13-15. So God defends and guards all His children. "There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." Ps. 91,10. True, also children of God have to suffer, they have many troubles and misfortunes; but their Father protects them in all these troubles, so that nothing can really harm them, but that everything must work together for good to them. Joseph in Egypt had to suffer much that was meant to do him harm, being cast into prison; but God was with him and made everything turn out for his welfare. He himself said to his brothers: "Ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive." Gen. 50,20.—In protecting His children from evil, God often uses His angels, those holy spirits whom He has created, and whom He sends out to minister to His children. By an angel God protected Daniel in the den of the lions and the three men in the fiery furnace. He sends His angels to protect us from evil. "He shall give His angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands lest thou dash thy foot against a stone." Ps. 91, 11.12.
REMEMBER:—
1. God preserves you by providing you with all things that you need for your life and body. He does so richly and daily. Therefore trust in Him, your rich and merciful Father.
2. God wants you to work diligently and earn your daily bread; He also wants you to be thrifty, saving, with what He has given you. But with all your working and saving you could never provide the necessary food and clothing without God's blessing. He alone provides for you.