A year ago, I thought I understood finances. Then, my husband switched jobs and didn’t get added to the payroll for two months. When he finally started getting paid, they found a lame excuse to let him go. In the months since then, the only thing I know for sure is that YHVH has provided for us. We have paid all our bills, have plenty of food, and all this has happened on my blogging income. I have learned that there are two very important financial principles that you don’t find in the money books. Nobody talks about them in a podcast. But, they are critical for you to grasp and understand.

So I say to you, do not worry about your life- what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or gather into barns; yet your father in heaven feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. Now if in this way God clothes the grass- which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow- will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For the pagans eagerly pursue all these things; yet your Father in heaven knows that you need all these. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Matthew 6:25-34TLV

The two principles I want to share with you today are simple, but mind-blowing at the same time. I find myself repeating them whenever I am tempted to worry. Yah is faithful, and these two truths do not change.

YHVH is my provider

We are commanded to work six days, and rest on the Sabbath. We are expected to show up for whatever our duties are and do our very best.

Remember Yom Shabbat, to keep it holy. You are to work six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Shabbat to Adonai your God. In it you shall not do any work- not you, nor your son, your daughter, your male servant, your female servant, your cattle, nor the outsider that is within your gates. For in six days Adonai made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Thus Adonai blessed Yom Shabbat, and made it holy.

Exodus 20:8-11 TLV

It is quite simple. If we do not work, we do not eat. Working a garden is equally as important as working a job. Both provide the things we need to live. I want to be clear that we are to show up and do our part. Laziness will never be rewarded.

The mind blowing part of this principle is realizing that YHVH is the One who blesses our efforts and ultimately provides all that we need. When you study the book of Deuteronomy, you will see Moses explain again and again that the Children of Israel would go into the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey. They would grow fat with the abundance, and then promptly forget that YHVH was the One all along Who provided that abundance. When they did forget, YHVH promised that they would be cursed by working hard and never seeing a return for their labor.

Knowing this, we need to guard against complacency. We need to daily recognize where our bread comes from. We are commanded to work hard. But we must recognize that Yah is our provider. We are to trust Him for what we need. We are to thank Him for what He provides. To me, this provides great relief. I work hard to do my job, but at the end of the day, I know that the outcome is up to Him, and I know that He promised to provide what I need.

What YHVH provides is sufficient

We are taught that the love of money is the root of all evil. Money is an integral part of our lives, without which we cannot function. But, if our goal each day becomes simply to make more money, we have moved dangerously into love of money territory.

This is why the second important financial principle is to remember that Yah’s provision is always sufficient. He promised to provide what we need. He didn’t promised piles of riches. The best way to truly learn this principle is to get into the habit of counting your blessings. Look around. Do you have food to eat? Do you have shelter? Do you have enough to pay for what you need today? This helps you to see that Yah has provided for you.

This can be a hard concept to grasp because we want to be provided for five years into the future. While we want to do our best to put money aside for the future, and make sure our children are provided for, we need to learn to recognize His provisions today. When we pray with the Lord’s prayer as our model, we are asking for our daily bread, not our retirement plan. This is an important balance to learn. We are to plan for the future, but always look at the present blessings.

How has Yah provided for you? What are your blessings today? Please share His goodness with us in the comments!