Breaking the Resource Myth: Why God’s Supply is Waiting on Your Vision
“Do we have enough money for this project?”
“How will we obtain the necessary resources?” “Where do we begin?” “How should the work be delegated?” Many such questions tend to surface when one is up against the challenge of a massive undertaking. Too often, big visions are hampered by practical concerns of this sort. Uncertainty in these questions can overwhelm and discourage even the most driven of visionaries.
If only there were an unlimited supply of money and time, you could accomplish absolutely everything that your heart could ever dream! Wouldn’t such a world be wonderful? Surprisingly, the answer to that question is an emphatic no. In reality, even if you had the time, resources, and capacity to accomplish every dream of your heart, you would find the result dissatisfying, disappointing, useless, and underwhelming. Though it may seem difficult to believe, the only thing that could ever truly fulfill and satisfy your heart is to do precisely what God has called and designed you to do. Now are you ready for the good news? Because of the God you serve, there is more than enough supply available and accessible to you for you to accomplish fully the thing that God has called you to do! Your job is simply to identify that divine purpose and appropriate the corresponding supply that God has provided.
To understand how God’s supply works, we will now turn to the next phase of our study of Bezalel, examining each distinct type of provision with which God supplied Bezalel in order to accomplish the task of building the Tabernacle. in II Corinthians 9:8, it says that “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” When God calls you to do something, He always equips you with an abundance of supply for the task at hand. There is no exception to that rule. How did this principle play out in the case of Bezalel?
From Exodus 36:1-7, we can identify three distinct types of provision with which God equipped Bezalel. First God gave revelation. Second, He established relationships. Finally, once both revelation and relationships were in place, the resources followed. All of God’s supply for building the Tabernacle could be divided into those three categories—revelation, relationships, and resources. To see this principle more clearly, we will go through the opening verses of Exodus 36 together.
First and foremost, God supplied Bezalel with the know-how. Exodus 36:1 says, “And Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whom the LORD has put wisdom and understanding, to know how to do all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, shall do according to all that the LORD has commanded.” Note the key phrase from this first verse, specifically the words, “to know how to do all manner of work.” Without an impartation of divine revelation, the Tabernacle would never have been built, because it was a project that transcended human knowledge.
Having given revelation, God then brought people alongside Bezalel to do the work together with him. Though the project was for Bezalel to build, God never intended for Bezalel to work alone. For that reason, Exodus 36:2 says, “Then Moses called Bezalel and Aholiab, and every gifted artisan in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, everyone whose heart was stirred, to come and do the work.” In addition to Bezalel’s chief assistant, named Aholiab, Bezalel also had the support of every gifted artisan in Israel whose heart God had stirred to help with the project.
Finally, once the revelation and relationships were in place, there was a framework and infrastructure within which the resources could be multiplied and maximized. People within Israel were willing and eager to contribute to the project, because there was clarity of vision, purpose, and organizational structure. Exodus 36:3 says, “And they received from Moses all the offering which the children of Israel had brought for the work of the service of making the sanctuary. So they continued bringing to him freewill offerings every morning.” Note that the people gave of their own free will, meaning that the offerings were not gathered through manipulation or coercion. Were the contributions adequate? According to the following verses, the people ultimately had to be restrained from giving because the material proved to be too much! Read it for yourself:
Then all the craftsmen who were doing all the work of the sanctuary came, each from the work he was doing, and they spoke to Moses, saying, “The people bring much more than enough for the service of the work which the LORD commanded us to do.”
So Moses gave a commandment, and they caused it to be pro- claimed throughout the camp, saying, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the offering of the sanctuary.” And the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done—indeed too much (Exodus 36:4-7).
Can you imagine such a scenario? Moses literally had to restrain the people from giving, because the workers simply could not handle any more materials. After a deluge of contributions, the supply grew to be too much, until the abundance of materials began to get in the way and impede productivity, a dynamic known in the study of economics as the “law of diminishing returns.”
When there was a clear and organized vision toward which people could contribute, God could then stir the hearts of the people to give. People were so eager to add their contribution that Moses had to give a commandment for them to stop, so that the workers would not be overwhelmed with the surplus.
When a vision is from God, He will ensure that the necessary resources are available and accessible. How does He provide those resources? He does not physically drop them from Heaven. Rather, He moves the hearts of people to give toward the work, so that those people can take part in the work through their gift. During the process, those who contribute will benefit from the blessing associated with the work. In a sense, one could call this dynamic a “Kingdom investment,” in which people are able to give a contribution and, ultimately, reap the reward that corresponds to their gift. But God will only stir the hearts of people to contribute when the revelation and relationships are in place, thereby creating the framework in which the resources can be utilized effectively. Once such a framework is in place, people will give without any manipulation or coercion.
What is the Proper Order?
Note carefully that the verses we covered from Exodus 36:1-7 reveal not only the types of supply that God provides, but also the order in which God gives supply. While human nature tends to consider resources first, in the Kingdom of God resources are last on the list. Why would God give you resources without the revelation of what to do with those resources?
Aside from revelation, you need relationships with people who will link arms with you. If you are attempting to work alone, you will never maximize the resources that you have at your disposal. To illustrate this point, consider the miraculous catch of fish as recorded in Luke 5:4-11. After a frustrating night of fruitless toil, the disciples were ready to concede defeat. But there was an abundant supply that they would have missed if they had quit too early. Jesus instructed them to let their nets down for a catch. His instruction provided the revelation that they needed. Hearing His instruction, the disciples determined not to base their expectation on their previous experience. Then they let down their nets only to find that the catch of fish was too numerous for them to draw in without help. For that reason, Luke 5:7 gives the detail that “they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them.” Without the help of those partners, the disciples would not have been able to maximize the available supply. Just as the disciples discovered with the miraculous catch of fish, you will find that God cannot bestow upon you the full available sup- ply until you have key relationships in place to help you manage the resources. For this reason, we must intentionally refrain from thinking as the world thinks. We live in a world that is need-driven, and the way of the world is to seek resources first. By stark contrast, the Kingdom of God is supply-driven. Therefore, as citizens of the Kingdom, rather than seeking and pursuing resources, we should instead give attention to the revelation and the relationships that God has ordained for us, so that we will be capable of handling the supply that
He wants to bestow upon us.
God’s order of supply is consistently evident throughout Scripture. For another biblical example, consider the story of Elijah with the widow at Zarephath. According to I Kings 17, Elijah went by revelation to Zarephath. Once there, the Lord led him to establish a relationship with a widow woman and her son. Through that relationship, the Lord provided sustenance for Elijah by multiplying the widow’s supply of flour and oil. Previously, when Elijah had been dwelling by the Brook Cherith, the Lord had used ravens to feed Elijah. Why did God not simply use ravens to feed Elijah at Zarephath? Why did the Lord get the widow involved? The Lord wanted the widow to be blessed as well! God was looking at more than simply the benefit of one man. When God establishes relationships in the Kingdom, He has a mutual benefit in mind, so that everyone is a winner in the end!
What about the feeding of the multitude in John 6? The five loaves and two fish were already available, but before God multiplied the loaves and fish, Jesus directed the people to sit in groups, strictly by revelation. Then God used the relationship with a small lad to sup- ply the needed resources. In the end, the lad also ended up with much more food than he had initially brought with him. God sees the big picture and works all things in a way in which everyone involved is blessed.
God’s order of supply reflects the immeasurable depths of His wisdom, beyond anything that this world can comprehend. If you have found yourself worrying over resources, then you have been thinking the way the world thinks. In Luke 12:29-32, Jesus explained that the world is constantly anxious over resources, but as a sheep in His flock, you need not fear, because the Father delights in giving you the Kingdom! Forget your anxiety over resources. In fact, quit seeking resources altogether! Instead, concentrate on the revelation that He is imparting to you and the relationships that He wants to establish for you. Recall that Jesus taught us to seek first the King- dom. If you learn to seek Kingdom revelation and to value Kingdom relationships, then the resources will be added in due time!
