The very mention of rent brings to my mind a rent far more glorious than any payment for an earthly dwelling. The veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, not by the hand of man, but by the act of God Himself. That rent was not made in a corner, but in the midst, so that the chief of sinners might find ample passage into the presence of the Most High. If the Lord has torn away every barrier that your sin had raised, will He now be deaf to your cry for daily bread? Come boldly, then, to the throne of grace, for the way is open and the one great Separator is destroyed.
Your soul requires food, and yet you are troubled about food for the body. This is not strange, for our frame is dust and must be sustained. But let me tell you, the best of literal food only feeds the body for a time; Christ’s flesh is food indeed, and His blood is drink indeed. Feed upon Him as your soul’s nourishment, and you will find strength to bear your present trial. Spiritual food comforts mourners, and it will comfort you in this narrow place. The very truth that you are a child of God, sealed by the Spirit, is marrow to the bones. Are you not a member of that family of which Noah’s house was a type? God entered into covenant with Noah that He would preserve him and his family alive. So He has entered into covenant with you in Christ Jesus. He has not forgotten your household; He who gave you the greater gift of His Son will not deny you the lesser gift of your rent and food.
But I must urge you to use the means He has appointed. God grant that prayer meetings be better attended, that family prayer be more regarded, and that private prayer be more diligently maintained. It is not for us to dream of provision dropping from the sky while we neglect to knock at mercy’s door. You are as the butcher at the block who cuts meat for others but gets none himself if you do not personally draw near to your Master. Seek Him in your closet, with your wife and children around you. Tell Him plainly of your need; He has heard harsher voices than a humble knock. His presence will go with you, and He will give you rest, even if the cupboard is bare for a season. Has He not said, “All things are yours”? That promise came to a poor man warming himself on a cold morning with no fire, and it shall be yours as you trust in it.
Wait upon Him, then, with a believing heart. He who fed you with His own body and blood will not suffer you to faint. The rent of your home will be met, the table will be furnished, in His own time and way. Only see to it that your soul is well fed upon the truths of His Word, for the real man is built up from the elements received as food. Then shall you prove that His flesh is meat indeed, and you shall go forth with the family likeness upon you, a witness that He is faithful who promised.