And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. Genesis 2:8
Being well taken care of is important to everybody. Whether that’s getting a favorite coffee drink, sleeping at just the right temperature, or the birthday meal our mom always made. We like being provided with good things. After God created the world and filled it with animals, He made Adam and Eve. God then planted a garden named Eden and put the man there. This was God’s provision for His beloved humans He made.
God’s Earthly Provision
Looking further, in Genesis 2:9, God “made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food…” God made a garden and then gave trees that were beautiful and tasty for food. This was God’s earthly provision for Adam and Eve. What about God’s provision for us? I don’t live in a garden with fresh fruit trees at my disposal. Jesus told us that God “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45).
Even now, God graciously provides for all people through providing common grace in the rain and other good things that everyone experiences. This is a wonderful gift of mercy that all people experience. That God provides each person with life and the means of life through common good things.
God’s Eternal Provision
Even more so, then, God provides eternal life through all who look to Jesus Christ for salvation. The faithful verse in John 3:16 makes it clear that “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” For Christians, there is not just common grace but special grace that God gives to His children. A gift of spiritual good, according to his riches in Christ (Philippians 4:19). A provision from God that brings about confidence to do good works (2 Corinthians 9:8).
This provision extends far beyond just our physical needs. It extends deep down to our most essential need of spiritual redemption and restoration. God’s eternal provision for His children in providing a new heaven and a new earth, a new promised land where God and His people dwell in perfect peace. That is the beautiful provision He gives to His children.
Read the devotional before this one here: The God Who Creates
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