Remember that time you were already late to a meeting, and then your car wouldn’t start? Or perhaps the moment you were slammed by an unexpectedly large bill that seemed to come out of nowhere. We all encounter situations that leave us wondering, “What in the world am I going to do?”
In those moments, we may feel overwhelmed, panic, or even resort to anger or self-pity. Ultimately, our fear of how things will turn out calls into question our ability to trust in God’s providence for our lives.
Psalm 111:5 expresses a profoundly simple truth for God’s people:
He provides food for those who fear Him; He remembers His covenant forever.
The concept of food here extends beyond mere sustenance or the provision of a bare loaf of bread; it signifies a deeper spiritual nourishment that comes from a relationship with God. The Psalmist likely recalled God’s provision for Israel in their wilderness wandering. When all hope seemed lost and the Israelites were on the verge of grumbling themselves to death (Ex. 16:2-3), God delivered them by providing the food they desperately needed.
Moreover, God’s people received abundantly beyond what they expected or deserved as God provided himself. Time and again, ”the glory of the LORD appeared…” (Ex. 16:10). At Sinai, he delivered the revelation of His law and entered into an unprecedented covenant with an unworthy people.
Most importantly, however, God delivered His son. While Scripture speaks of God sustaining and providing food to all creatures generally (Ps. 136:25, 145:15-16; Matt. 5:45, etc.), when Scripture speaks of God providing food for His people, it almost always takes on an unmistakable spiritual dimension. Isaiah invites all who hunger and thirst to find that God freely offers bread that cannot be purchased by any human currency (Isa. 55) for it is Christ who declares “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never go hungry” (John 6:35).
Psalm 111:5 teaches that what we truly need is a fear of the Lord. This fear of God is not terror, though. Nor is it even reverence alone. It is a deep-seated humility that flows from awareness of our absolute dependence for existence on the mercy of God. Only when we realize our utter dependence on Him are we prepared to see that he has met, is continuing, and will one day satisfy our deepest needs. God’s provision is a part of a covenantal relationship where, just as He fed Israel in the wilderness, He promises to meet our true material needs and most importantly sustain our faith as we see Him.
When we find ourselves doubting God’s providence, a fear of God compels us to do whatever we can to find things to be thankful for (Ps. 111:1a). It drives us to study His works (Ps. 111:2) and His word (Ps. 111:7b), to the end that we might delight in Him. Importantly, too, we find that life in covenant with God means spending time with the people of God (Ps. 111:1b).
God’s design is that we would constantly be encouraging one another, sharing stories of our needs and His provision. As we do this, we come to believe that God truly does “provide food for those who fear Him.”
