ARE YOU ACTING LIKE AN ORPHAN?
These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:32-33 (NLT)
If you listened to Christian music in the 90s and early 2000s, then you’re likely familiar with the band Jars of Clay. A line from their song Out of My Hands stuck with me. It says, And I act like an orphan / Forget that You found me.
Now and then, that line pops back into my brain and exposes my orphan mentality. An orphan mindset is one of self-reliance, carrying with it pressure to provide for myself and figure everything out on my own. It’s a life of striving and insecurity, and the way of our world.
On the other hand, the Kingdom of God is one of sons and daughters under the care and provision of a loving Father. It’s confidence in our good Father to meet our every need and keep us safe. It’s marked by receiving rather than striving.
God has not left you alone as an orphan to fend for yourself. You are a beloved child of your heavenly Father, and He is fully aware of all your needs. He’s not just aware, He is completely capable of meeting every single one. After all, He has already met your most desperate need, salvation from sin and death, so there is no problem too big that He can’t solve.
Push back against the world telling you to prioritize self-reliance and material possessions to satisfy your needs. God has given you a higher priority. Be about the things your Father is about, such as love, humility, righteousness, gratitude and generosity. As you seek those things, He’ll give you everything else you need.
APPLICATION: Listen to the song The Lord will Provide by Landon Wolfe and Passion and declare Everything I need, My Father has it.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, show me where I’m living like an orphan and striving to manage life on my own. I confess how quickly I can forget that my Father is the King of Kings. Help me entrust myself to Your loving care and prioritize You and Your kingdom above everything else. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?