How much time did you spend outside today?
As I write this article in early April, the weather is trying to decide whether it’s fake spring or real spring. Last week, it was 70 degrees. Today, it was 40 and snowy. Next week, it will be 80 degrees. At the same time, it’s certainly easier to be outside when it’s 80 than when it’s 40, far too many of us are not outside for much of the time.
A 2023 survey indicated that over 18% of Americans spend less than 15 minutes a day outdoors, and over 37% spend less than 30 minutes outside. At the same time, author Ginny Yurich states that on average, kids today spend 1,200 hours on devices each year.
While there are many consequences to our lives indoors and on screens, a big challenge is that we miss the opportunity to interact with the prompts God gave us to remember His provision and promise to care for us. In their song, “The Lord Will Provide,” Passion and Landon Wolfe remind worshipers of God’s compassion and care for His creation. The chorus of the song opens with a call to consider creation.
RELATED CONTENT: Passion Affirms ‘The Lord Will Provide’
“Look at the flowers
In all of their beauty
I don't have to wonder
You know what You're doing (yes, that's right)”
From the opening lines of “The Lord Will Provide,” Passion puts the words of Jesus from Matthew 6 into song. “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?”
When we live inside, hooked to screens for hours each day, we miss the reminder that flowers and birds give us. We grow more anxious, worrisome, and uneasy about the uncertain future. In an interview, Kristian Stanfill discussed this theme from “The Lord Will Provide.” He stated, “The song is a good reminder that God has everything we need in his hands. There’s no shortage with Him - it’s all abundance. That’s a good reminder for this generation and all of us.”
RELATED CONTENT: Album Spotlight: 'Call On Heaven' Passion
But the message of “The Lord Will Provide” is not merely about the reminders we get when we walk outside—the lyrics of the song point to the reality of God as our Father.
“Sing, everything I need
Everything I need
My Father has it”
As a father to three kids on the verge of their teenage years, I think of Matthew 7:11 often. There, Jesus poses a poignant comparison. “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.” Our Father has all that we need and we are invited to see His gifts on a regular basis.
After all, God has already given us the greatest gift of all in sending His Son to earth to die for us. This is the exact point Paul makes near the end of Romans 8. “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” That question will ignite your imagination and faith!
RELATED CONTENT: Passion and Brooke Ligertwood Reimagine 'He Who Is to Come'
That’s why Passion culminates the song with a bridge rooted in the famous words of Jesus in Matthew 6:33 - “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
“The Lord Will Provide” reminds us that God invites us to trust His provision by seeking His Kingdom’s treasure and expansion.
“So seek first the kingdom and its treasures
Everything else it will be added
All that I'm needing (that's it)
Yes, I know the Lord will provide (oh I'm confident)”
If it’s hard to trust God’s provision today, “The Lord Will Provide” offers us three next steps. First, take a walk outside, paying special attention to the flowers and the birds. Second, consider how much you love the kids around you and recognize that God loves them far more than you. Third, look for one simple way to seek God’s kingdom - where His reign, rule, and values are happening in and through you.
When you get overwhelmed, anxious, or worried, “The Lord Will Provide” is an awesome to have on your playlist, ready to encourage your heart with the simple truths that sit at the core of our faith! I hope you give it a listen soon.
Scott Savage is a pastor, author, and speaker with the best last name in the world. Scott’s writing helps people transform difficult circumstances into places where they can thrive. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona, and loves watching movies with his wife and three kids. You can begin Scott’s life-changing project, The 21 Day Gratitude Challenge, today.
