This is a question we as believers often encounter.  What is the balance between walking by faith and trusting our Heavenly Father to provide for our needs and preparing for our needs?  How do we find that balance?  What does it look like?  Those are some of the questions I’d like to explore today.

2 Corinthians 5:7 says “We live by faith, not by sight.”  I really like the CJB Version’s interpretation “For we live by trust, not by what we see.”  Walking by faith is really about walking by trust in our Heavenly Father.  Walking by faith is really about our trust in Yahweh to provide for us.  Do I trust Him to provide for my needs?

On the other hand, we are told in 1 Timothy 5:8 “If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”  So we are to provide for our families and their needs.  One way of doing that is being prepared for our needs.  We are told in Proverbs 6:6-8 “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.”

So what is the balance?  It is walking with a heart full of faith and trust in the Father to provide while making wise use of the provisions He has given us.  For example, if my garden produces 2 bushels of tomatoes, and my family can only eat ½ of a bushel fresh, then I’ll take the time to can or freeze the rest.  That is using what the Lord has already provided for me wisely.  At the same time, I’m going to trust Him to give me the means (whether money, labor, or seeds) to get more when my family eats those that I have stored.

The same goes for saving money.  If I am making $2,000 this month, and I only need $1,500 for my expenses, I’m going to put that $500 in savings for a need that may come up.  But I’m also going to trust the Father to provide for that need either through the extra that He has already given me or another means that He chooses to use.  It’s looking at things both spiritually and physically – never separating the two.