Strength in scarcity

11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT)

We all love Philippians 4:13. This famous verse tells us we can do everything through the strength of God. But the amazing thing I found in this chapter was the preceding verses; in some of which Paul talked about contentment. He was talking about the secret to contentment; following which he said he can do all things. You would think that Paul was in the middle of his biggest breakthrough when he spoke this, but rather Paul was locked away in prison and yet he had the frame of mind to say that he can do all things through Christ because he had the secret to contentment.

What gave a man locked away in prison the audacity to write messages about love, joy and contentment. How could he be content when he had been chained up and there was no way of escape? What did he know about his situation that was oblivious to those around him? I believe He had encountered a God who had showed him the two sides of life; the ‘to have’ and ‘not to have’ and shown Himself as Jehovah Jireh (The God who provides).

There are seasons of our lives when we experience scarcity or lack. This is because life has a way of throwing us in the deep end when we least expect it and then we find ourselves in situations we had never envisioned. A season of your life where you have no idea of the source of your next help or support. Most of the time when we are in such situations, all we want to do is to be delivered or escape from it. Nobody finds pleasure in staying in scarcity and no one expects anyone to rejoice in scarcity.

What I did find out is that God allows scarcity in our lives to teach us a virtue that we can never learn in abundance. Beyond every scarcity in our life is a door to abundance, because we serve an exceedingly abundantly type of God.

Beloved, I pray that in every way you may succeed and prosper and be in good health [physically], just as [I know] your soul prospers [spiritually].
3 John 1:2 (AMP)

In the middle of scarcity, there is a strength God brings us that enables us to go through that season. This strength enables us to wake up to nothing and look up to God and say that:

1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains where does my help come from? 2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV)

I believe the lesson to be learnt in scarcity is contentment. To be content is to live satisfyingly with the meagre you have available to you. You can live satisfied with little, knowing that God is a provider and He will come through for you in His set time. You do not allow your environment to disturb your peace especially when everyone around you is living in affluence. When you live contented, you are happy with what you currently have and because of that you live a joyful life. I have met people with little who are so joyful and I have often marvelled about the secret behind their satisfaction. I believe it is because they have decided to allow God to take care of their needs and so they can face each day and say that:

I am convinced that my God will fully satisfy every need you have, for I have seen the abundant riches of glory revealed to me through the Anointed One, Jesus Christ!
Philippians 4:19 (TPT)

Jesus wanted to get this straight into the hearts of the disciples right from the start, when He taught them to pray for their daily bread.

Give us today our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11 (NIV)

In the same way the Israelites had to walk through the wilderness for over forty years because they had to learn lessons to enable them handle the riches in the Promised Land. God gave them manna that was sufficient for each day because He needed them to be content with what He was providing them daily.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Look, I’m going to rain down food from heaven for you. Each day the people can go out and pick up as much food as they need for that day. I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.
Exodus 16:4 (NLT)

God did not create anyone to live in hardship all the days of their lives. God is able to provide all your needs abundantly and so if the same God who can provide all you desire is withholding something from you, then you should realise there is a reason for it. You were created for greatness and glory but the path to it can be a tortuous one that requires you to overcome the highs and lows of life. Life has its seasons and each season has something to teach us if we allow ourselves to receive it. An imprisoned Paul, had the strength to look at his situation and say that whether he has or he doesn’t have, he is ok. So why then do we struggle with the ‘not have season’ and all we want is the ‘have season’?

And God is able to make all grace [every favor and earthly blessing] come in abundance to you, so that you may always [under all circumstances, regardless of the need] have complete sufficiency in everything [being completely self-sufficient in Him], and have an abundance for every good work and act of charity.
2 Corinthians 9:8 (AMP)

My daughter Janice loves everything fashionable and expensive. As a mum I cannot just take her to the shop and spend away to satisfy her desire. On the other hand my little daughter Kayla, is careful with her money and will not just spend it on anything at all. She only spends her money when it is really necessary. She believes in saving up so she can spend it on things that are really important to her. So I have had to teach Janice that life is about managing what you have and being a blessing to others. She needs to understand that, all her needs will be provided for but any excesses will come in due time. This is a lesson that is good for her development now and she can also apply it to her life in the future. Likewise God will provide all our needs and not momentary desires to satisfy ourselves.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19 (NKJV)

To be whole as a person, you have to conquer the two sides of the coin. We cannot just want to live in abundance and not experience scarcity otherwise there will be imbalance in our resource management skills. If you have not experienced scarcity and have not had to manage your resources to make ends meet, you will struggle when you encounter overflow as you will not know how to handle your resources. When I have little to work with, I am forced to be creative and work diligently with whatever I have. I do not have the luxury of wastage but live through the discipline of economising.  These are lessons you cannot learn when you are living in abundance.

This has been evident in various celebrities and rich people who have unfortunately gone bankrupt after living a seemingly rich and wealthy life. You may have also seen or heard of people who won the lottery and lost all the money in a short pace of time. This happened to such people because they had not conquered the discipline of living in scarcity and abundance.

If you are already living in abundance and have not had to experience scarcity, remember that you have a responsibility to be discipline with the resources God has provided you. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom and the discipline of life in abundance, so you can please God with your resources.

When you have endured scarcity and walked that phase of life in all diligence; totally depending on God to help you in each step of the way, when God brings you into abundance you will manage it effectively and you will see life differently. You will not waste away but you will be a good steward of the resources God has blessed you with. We saw a Jesus who does not do wastage when He had His disciples collect the leftovers from His biggest miracle with the fish and bread. This miracle happened in the midst of scarcity, when in the eyes of man there was no way out, but in the eyes of Jesus it was all covered. The reason God wants you to be content in scarcity is because He has got it covered. He can see the abundance on the other side and so when He says be satisfied with your now He knows the impact that will make on your future.

9 “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” 10 “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted. 12 After everyone was full, Jesus told his disciples, “Now gather the leftovers, so that nothing is wasted.” 13 So they picked up the pieces and filled twelve baskets with scraps left by the people who had eaten from the five barley loaves.
John 6:9-13 (NLT)

Like the poor widow who lived out of contentment and gave the little she had to God, God values you as a person. So whether you have a lot to help people with or you are just down to your minimum, embrace your season because God is proud of you. Jesus pointed out this widow to teach us about our hearts and what is really important in life.

43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Mark 12:43-44 NIV

I will admonish you not to despise humble beginnings, because the strength and tenacity gained there will drive your life of abundance. 

The next time you find yourself stuck in a wilderness and all you want is water to quench that thirst, remember God is bringing a lesson your way.  Do not be in a hurry to run away from your wilderness experiences because God is taking you through a lesson you can learn only from such seasons. Lessons learnt in that season will be needed in your abundant season.

May you be filled with the Fullness of God and the Power of His Love!