Money. For many missionaries there may not be another word that causes more angst, stress, or fear. All too often it feels like there isn’t enough of it to do the things we hope to accomplish.
For better or worse, money is a building block of the world we live in. Much good and much evil can be accomplished through the use of money. And money can feel like a seriously limiting factor in the ministries God has called us to.
Over the past couple of posts we’ve explored the driving purpose of missions being God’s glory and we’ve looked at man’s position in that work. Last week I asserted that God doesn’t need you or me to accomplish his work. This week I’ll contend the same for money. While God does often use money as a channel for his provision and grace in the work he has given us, he certainly does not need money.
So, what does the Bible have to say about money? Well, a lot, it turns outs. But let’s focus more specifically on the relationship between money and missions. I won’t labor too much to cite endless Bible references, but rest assured that you can find many supporting passages for each of these truths.
God is not limited by finite resources
God is not limited by finite resources like time, money, or energy like we are.
- We are creatures bound by space and time. God has always been and will always be.
- We must rest and sleep because our energy is finite. God never wearies and never sleeps.
- We need time, strength, and often money to accomplish work. God is the one who is able to speak all of creation into existence. He is the author of time, space, strength, and all resources.
Everything is God’s anyway
In Psalms 50, the psalmist reminds us that God owns everything.
For every beast of the forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills, and all that moves in the field is mine.Psalm 50:10
So, unlike us, resources are never a constraint for our mighty God.
God always provides
Many of you can illustrate this truth far better than I can with your own stories of God’s amazing (at least, to us of little faith) provisions. Some stories I’ve heard from missionary friends rival even those of the famed George Müller.
And this shouldn’t surprise those of us who are believers! In his sermon on the mount Jesus commands us to anchor our hearts and our treasures in heaven, not in the temporary things of earth. And then he proceeds to remind us that God always provides for the flowers and the birds. If God cares for them “will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” O how often we may have read this, and o how often it still fails to sink as deeply as we need into our hearts.
God often chooses to use money to accomplish his work
Having established that God does not need money we can certainly see that he often chooses to use it.
And neither should this be a surprise! If God chooses to use broken and sinful people like you and me to accomplish his work, then it’s not so very difficult to see how he would also use money to work through man.
We see beautiful examples of this throughout the scriptures, but one of my favorites is when we see God provide for the rebuilding of the temple and city wall around Jerusalem. Ezra and Nehemiah both leads groups of exiles back to Jerusalem for reconstruction projects and they both come bearing the financial and political support of foreign kings.
God works through man to accomplish his work. And that’s not exclusive to the ones he calls to the work! He also works through others to support that work.
If God always provides, then why do finances often feel scarce?
God is chiefly concerned with his glory, not our comfort. He’s weaving a beautiful and wonderful story that we cannot often see.
Might it be that God intentionally keeps us relying on him for our needs? Maybe he does this because he knows the truth about the natural tendency of our hearts - we tend toward idolatry. In Matthew 6, Jesus tells the crowd that
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.Matthew 6:24
So, serve God! God doesn’t need our money! He wants our hearts! And he knows that “where [our] treasure is, there [our] hearts will be also”!1
While God has called you to labor in his harvest, he has also called others to join you in that work by supporting your labor through prayer, encouragement, and financial support. Perhaps God doesn’t give us all we need right away because he’s laboring to knit his church together to work like a functioning body. And perhaps God’s provision for the work you’re called to is just a part of the grander work he is doing to use fallen man to accomplish his greater purposes.
Fear not!
Perhaps today you need to be reminded to “fear not”! Your heavenly father knows all that you need, and he always provides in his time. And he always provides in a way that brings himself glory.
Lay down your guilt around talking about your needs with other believers. If it’s true that God often works through man to provide for his work to be accomplished, then other people need to know about your needs so that they can help and serve and participate and partner with you in the work God has called you to.
I know that talking about financial needs, in particular, can be a very delicate subject for many of you. In future posts, I’ll explore in much greater detail how you can walk a healthy balance in sharing your financial needs. If you’re struggling with this today, I can help. Set up a free call with me to learn how you can navigate communicating with your supporters about your financial needs wisely and graciously.
Blessings, friends!
Soli Deo Gloria
Zach
Life as a missionary is hard enough. Financial stress and lack of support make it harder. I can help. Schedule a free call to find out how you can build better relationships with your gospel partners and increase your support.
Matthew 6:21 ↩