God is not a cow! Got milk?

As hilarious as the title may seem to some and as odd as it may seem to others, it is one hundred percent relevant to each and every one of us. I have been guilty of seeing our loving father-Abba, as the leprechaun at the end of the rainbow, the genie in the bottle or- as you guessed- a plump milking cow!

Before you click off this article due to not at all being pleased by the opening, hear me out. Recently, I found myself in a very tight spot in my life. My job hung by a thread with my finances barely holding up. On the personal side, my non-existent “romantic” life was also a sore point for me. I was quickly fired upon by the darts of the enemy, Satan, who started to drown me further in sorrow by the simple yet dangerous phrase “By now…”. By now, you should be married… by now you should be working a multi-million dollar job… by now your business should have taken off…. by now, by now, by now!

Needless to say, all these ‘by nows’ quickly brought my frustrations into overdrive. Thankfully, I hastily drew on the promises of God to alleviate my suffering but to my surprise, the scriptures I quoted were not the ones God wanted to use in my current circumstances. Yes a thousand cattle on the hill still belongs to Him (Psalm 50 v 10), yes I will be the head and not the tail (Deuteronomy 28 v 13), yes above all He wishes that I prosper and be in good health as my soul prospereth (3 John 1 v 2) but (inserts cd scratch sound here) “How is your soul, Anita?

“How is your soul, Anita?” I was floored! Mind you, this question came from my Father in the midst of a deep, soul-baring prayer, on a fast, while I was shut away in my ‘closet’ (the only available one being the office loo since I was at work). Welp, no need to ask if I grew quiet and started pondering the question in my heart. Folding up the mile long shopping list I was pouring out to God, I began to feel odd. What do you mean by "how is my soul?" Am I not here on a fast asking you to help a sista out? And you know when you ask questions of God, He's gonna give you bible!

Matthew 6 was the chapter long answer (all 34 verses). But my heart settled on verses 31-33 and I quickly looked into it.

"...

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

..."

The first thing that really snapped me was that pagans run after these things! I don’t know about you but I do not want the word pagan attached to my description! Pagan? As in someone who does know the Lord God Almighty? Nope.

Over the next couple weeks, the Lord started to reveal other things for me to consider and remember including:

· Your eternal needs far supersede your immediate earthly needs. I know you want the big job, the business, the house, spouse and kids but do not allow your treasurers to be laid up where rust and moth doth corrupt (Matthew 6 v 19-20). Instead lay them (your treasurers) in heaven, for where your treasure is there your heart will also be. How easy was it to almost fall into the trap of idolatry! If we are not careful, we begin to elevate the blessings of our Father above the relationship with Him. We cherish the gift but not the gift giver. The things we see now are temporal; however the relationship with Christ is eternal. That is where our focus should lay as sojourners in this land- eternity with Christ. Does this mean we should live without planning? Absolutely not! That would be a direct disregard for the biblical principle of being a good steward.

· Did I not command you to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ? No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer (2 Timothy 2 v 4). If you know anything about military service, you know they supply all the needs of their soldiers (e.g. medical and dental, food, clothing etc). That way the soldier can be fully focused on the task at hand and not be worried about his next meal or expenses. The chief take away from this verse however was the fact that hardships will come and it is Christ-like to endure them. While God will make a way in the wilderness of our problems, a faith untested is unreliable. When we approach God as big wishing pot luck, the minute He does not hastily answers your whims and wants, doubt begins to creep in. It is a fact that many of us want to access the power of heaven but never wish to suffer for it. How then can reliability be tested?

It’s easy to get caught up and lost in the affairs of life, losing sight of the most important thing, pleasing our commander-in-chief Jesus and positioning ourselves for eternity. Quite frankly, the prosperity of various messages preached from the pulpit gives believers the impression that as a child of God we are somehow exempt from suffering. This is far from the truth for if we suffer with Him, we shall also reign with Him. (2 Timothy 2 v 12).

Philippians 4 v 19 shares that my God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory. Our needs… our needs… somehow I don’t think that new Ps5 or Balenciaga shoe or Birkin bag is a need! Besides, perhaps God sees that blessing you with that game will reduce the time spent in communion with Him. Perhaps blessing you with that new purse may cause a seed of pride to start growing in your heart. Am I saying God only supplies our needs? No He’s our Good Father. He knows what is beneficial and how each thing will impact our lives. If he denies a petition, know it was not for you (not in line with his purpose for you) or not yet the time for He knows we are not ready or equipped to take care of the gift he blessed us with.

God Almighty, the everlasting one, is not a cow to be milked. This is a challenge for you to consider how we have treated his provision.

Much Love, God bless.