Philippians 4:19b

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

(v19, NIV)

God is rich enough to meet our needs. It's not like asking for help from a friend. In your need, you may ask them to help you out in some way. However, they may not have the means to help you out. Maybe they don't have enough money to give you, or maybe they don't have the time to spare. When you hang out at the lab working on the same projects as everyone else, you notice people asking each other for help. Unfortunately, when you're working on a project that's due the next day, most of the people who have the answers are the ones who are finished not at the lab. So someone may ask some of the people at the lab, but they don't have what they're looking for. Have assurance in knowing that God has more than enough to meet your needs. God has more than enough to meet your wants, but he won't necessarily grant your every whimsical desire. God is good and knows what's best for us. Sometimes what's best for us is withholding from us something we think we need. Isn't it interesting how some people react to God in that situation? We may come to God with a request that is not good for us. When God doesn't grant that request, we question God and call him a liar. God isn't like that. Since God is more than able to supply you with any and every single one of our needs and wants, why would he not? Is it because God is a jerk? Is it because God just wants us to be miserable? God is all knowing and all powerful and he loves us. If you asked your father for bread, do you think he'd give you a rock instead? He may be simply pulling your leg or you may think of certain exceptions, but for the most part your father would not give you a rock when asking for bread. Wouldn't our father in heaven who has glorious riches with which he can supply us and surpassing knowledge and love with which to know what is best for us do what's best for us? When asking him for bread, would God give us a stone? We should trust in God, who knows more than us and is wiser than us, to do what's best for us.

So what kinds of needs do we have? What kinds of needs of ours does God meet? What needs of ours is Paul referring to? Well, clearly their material needs are one which first comes to mind. In response to their offering to Paul, that is a sweet smelling aroma to God, they will be supply their material needs. God may give them a great wealth, or he may barely give them enough. Regardless, Paul is saying in response to their giving on behalf of God that God will meet their needs. Another need they may have may come out of their suffering when facing opposition. In the face of opposition, we need to stand firm and strive forward. God will supply us with this steadfastness. It is through him that we receive joy that we may endure in the face of opposition. We also have needs when we are prone to worry or complain. God will supply us with his peace that surpasses all understanding. We need to be unified in the advance of one faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. To meet our needs, God will supply us with the grace and humility necessary for it.

God doesn't always work the same way. Therefore, it is sometimes hard to put God into a specific equation. We may hear of how God is working in other people's lives and think we can do it the same way. For example, maybe one person prays to God every day for wealth and God blessed him with lots of money and wealth and success. We may then think that we can simply pray daily and God will give us money. That isn't true. Many people all of the world probably pray for money daily, but they don't receive it. We may look at a friend who said they pray for 10 minutes before every exam without studying at all, and every time they do that, they get a good mark. Therefore, we may think if we pray 10 minutes before an exam and don't study, God will simply give us a really good mark. It is possible for God to do these things, but God may not do it quite that way.

There are equations that do work. The first part of the equation is that you follow God earnestly and wholeheartedly. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ whom he sent and live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel to which you have been called. Obey his commandments and listen to what he says. Love the Lord your God will all your heart, mind, soul and strength. The second part of the equation is that you will be blessed. It's a little like listen to God and you will get good things. The alternative is, don't listen to God and you will get bad things. It's not that your life will suddenly be peaches and roses and flowery all the time. However, you will be blessed in one way or another. He is good.