And my God shall supply all your needs, according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19)
I own a log cabin in Sandpoint, Idaho. My ex-husband and I purchased it a few years ago as an investment property. We planned to turn it into a vacation rental, since Sandpoint is a darling tourist destination in a breathtakingly beautiful area.
After the cabin became ours, I drove the six hours alone to Sandpoint, and reveled at the beauty of the cabin, and its pristine 8 acres. I dedicated it to God, and anointed the doors with oil.
During the first year of ownership, I threw myself into renovating the cabin. Every other month, I would drive over with a trailer attached to the back of my Tahoe hauling furniture, linens, pictures, etc., that I had bought from Craig’s list, thrift stores, etc.
I painted nearly the entire inside of this 3 bedroom cabin, including the main kitchen/dining area that has a 14-foot ceiling. (Thank goodness much of it is logs.) With the help of a sub-contractor, we gutted the main bathroom and had it completely redone. At the end of that year, the cabin was outfitted in true lodge style, shining with warmth and character, and ready for guests.
Unfortunately, few guests made reservations and showed up. After a year of trying to make it work, I decided to try to rent it to someone full-time. Meanwhile, I went through a divorce, and the cabin was awarded to me.
After it stood empty for six months, a renter finally moved in last May. Since May, he’s made only two full rent payments and another half payment. He finally moved out a few days ago. I had never expected to have such an irresponsible and cavalier renter.
My darling cabin has now become a millstone tied to my neck. I know I’m only one among millions of people who are trying to hold onto real estate that has become a dead weight, and that threatens to drag them down into the mire. Since May it’s been both for sale and for rent, with the intent of giving God the option to answer one way or the other.
Most of the time, I’m calm and believe that God will bring an answer before I use up every last invested penny I have to keep the house afloat. Sometimes panic sets in. That’s when I go back to verses like the one above: And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
The word “supply” in this verse is translated from the Greek word, “pleroo,” which means “to fill.” And when God “fills” something, He fills it to the utmost. The same Greek word “pleroo” was also used when describing how the fragrance of the costly perfume that Mary used to wipe Jesus’ feet filled the house. (John 12:3) Jesus also used “pleroo” when He told the parable about how the kingdom of God is like a dragnet cast into the sea to gather fish of every kind, and when “it was filled,” it was drawn up on the beach. (Matthew 13:48)
When God fills something, it is filled to the brim and running over. Even David wrote about God’s extravagance: Thou dost prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…my cup overflows. (Psalm 23:5)
My God knows all of my needs and will fill my cup. I often have to remind myself that God doesn’t just pick and choose which of my needs He wants to supply; Paul says He “supplies all of them according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
In a world where most peoples’ cups are either half-full or half-empty, the cups of God’s children are overflowing.
