Silas
Beloved of All
Your honesty about being alone, unable to work, needing to move for medical reasons, and feeling let down by others is heard with care, and your desire not to go into debt is understandable. It is true that everything belongs to God and He is the owner of all things, and it is also true that He calls us to steward what He entrusts to us with wisdom and faith.
Scripture shows that God leaves room for Himself to work according to His own will. Under the old law there was a detailed instruction for the cleansing of a person with leprosy, a disease that had no human cure. That law itself was a sign that God kept the door open for a miracle if He chose to heal. In the same way we should not put God in a box or decide in advance how He must provide. He is able to heal, to provide, and to open doors that we cannot open, and we can give Him room to work in His own way and time. When Jesus healed the leper He showed He is willing and able, and He still works according to His perfect wisdom.
That same principle helps with the question of a lottery ticket. Wanting agreement that God will provide through a specific ticket is asking Him to work in one prescribed way. The Bible does not teach us to seek provision through games of chance. Instead it teaches us to bring our needs directly to our Father, to trust His care, to work faithfully with what we have, and to receive help through the family of believers as He moves hearts to give. In the early church, believers in Jerusalem faced deep financial hardship, and other churches, though they themselves were poor and going through trials, gave generously out of joy to help them. God provided through the love and generosity of His people, and thanksgiving rose to Him as a result.
The prophet Haggai also spoke to people who earned money but never had enough, and he pointed out that they had not put God first. We are taught to bring the first fruits of our increase to the Lord, to put Him first not as a formula to get money, but as an expression of trust that He will care for us. Borrowing to give or borrowing out of desperation is not what He asks of us, and seeking a windfall is not the path of steady trust He commends.
Above every material need is the one provision God has made for our deepest need. Just as those bitten in the wilderness were told to look at the bronze serpent lifted up and live, not by any natural power in the object but by trusting God's word, so we are told to look in faith to Jesus Christ lifted up for us. There is no other provision for forgiveness and new life. God requires a spiritual birth, to be born of His Spirit through faith in His Son, and the Holy Spirit bears witness to our hearts that Jesus is that provision. If we receive Him we have life. That is the first and most important provision to be sure of, and from that relationship we learn to trust Him for daily needs as well.
So rather than agreeing that a lottery ticket will be the answer, I will pray with you that God will provide for your medical needs, give you wisdom about whether and where to move, and supply what you need in His way. I will pray that He heals and strengthens you as He wills, that He surrounds you with trustworthy help so you are not alone, and that He guides you to wise counsel and practical support in the body of Christ and through legitimate resources for medical and financial assistance. If you have a local church, please share these needs openly with a pastor or elders who can pray with you face to face and help you explore real options for care and support.
May the Lord show you His nearness, give you peace as you look to Jesus, and make His provision and direction clear in the days ahead.
Scripture shows that God leaves room for Himself to work according to His own will. Under the old law there was a detailed instruction for the cleansing of a person with leprosy, a disease that had no human cure. That law itself was a sign that God kept the door open for a miracle if He chose to heal. In the same way we should not put God in a box or decide in advance how He must provide. He is able to heal, to provide, and to open doors that we cannot open, and we can give Him room to work in His own way and time. When Jesus healed the leper He showed He is willing and able, and He still works according to His perfect wisdom.
That same principle helps with the question of a lottery ticket. Wanting agreement that God will provide through a specific ticket is asking Him to work in one prescribed way. The Bible does not teach us to seek provision through games of chance. Instead it teaches us to bring our needs directly to our Father, to trust His care, to work faithfully with what we have, and to receive help through the family of believers as He moves hearts to give. In the early church, believers in Jerusalem faced deep financial hardship, and other churches, though they themselves were poor and going through trials, gave generously out of joy to help them. God provided through the love and generosity of His people, and thanksgiving rose to Him as a result.
The prophet Haggai also spoke to people who earned money but never had enough, and he pointed out that they had not put God first. We are taught to bring the first fruits of our increase to the Lord, to put Him first not as a formula to get money, but as an expression of trust that He will care for us. Borrowing to give or borrowing out of desperation is not what He asks of us, and seeking a windfall is not the path of steady trust He commends.
Above every material need is the one provision God has made for our deepest need. Just as those bitten in the wilderness were told to look at the bronze serpent lifted up and live, not by any natural power in the object but by trusting God's word, so we are told to look in faith to Jesus Christ lifted up for us. There is no other provision for forgiveness and new life. God requires a spiritual birth, to be born of His Spirit through faith in His Son, and the Holy Spirit bears witness to our hearts that Jesus is that provision. If we receive Him we have life. That is the first and most important provision to be sure of, and from that relationship we learn to trust Him for daily needs as well.
So rather than agreeing that a lottery ticket will be the answer, I will pray with you that God will provide for your medical needs, give you wisdom about whether and where to move, and supply what you need in His way. I will pray that He heals and strengthens you as He wills, that He surrounds you with trustworthy help so you are not alone, and that He guides you to wise counsel and practical support in the body of Christ and through legitimate resources for medical and financial assistance. If you have a local church, please share these needs openly with a pastor or elders who can pray with you face to face and help you explore real options for care and support.
May the Lord show you His nearness, give you peace as you look to Jesus, and make His provision and direction clear in the days ahead.
