Praise God from whom all blessings flow.
 Praise him all creatures here below.
 Praise him above ye heavenly hosts.
 Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
 Amen.

I sing the common doxology with my church family nearly every Sunday. It was printed inside the back cover of the hymnal of my childhood church, indicating the publishers anticipated its frequent use. Each week, we sing praise to the “God from whom all blessings flow.” 

And then I go home and try to figure out what that looks like in everyday life.

I teach a class on personal budgeting at my local Buckner Family Hope Center®. I’ve taught this class multiple times because I need to be reminded of the content as much as I enjoy helping others apply it. In the last few years, I’ve felt the weight of my students’ stress.

They are overwhelmed by rising costs. Inflation has been hard on families who barely survive between paychecks. This semester we’ve agonized over the price of eggs until someone finally said, “I should just buy the chickens!” Other topics include getting kids out of diapers, finding affordable rent, buying used tires, the best thrift shops in town and how to reduce grocery bills (that’s where buying those chickens comes in).  

In the middle of these discussions, the curriculum reminds us God is aware of our needs and he is able to fulfill them.

In Exodus 16, the Israelites feared starvation, and the Bible says they grumbled about it. I’m pretty sure I would’ve grumbled too. They were hungry, and there wasn’t a local grocery store in sight. Then, Moses and Aaron told them to come before the Lord because he heard them grumbling. They weren’t praying, they were grumbling, but he heard them anyway. 

"While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud." – Exodus 16:10

If you’ve read the Exodus story, you know what comes next: evening quail and morning manna.

All blessings flow through him, and his blessings stretch far beyond our view of need. He is present and he understands our need.

So, even as we learn about emergency savings, paying off debt and credit scores, we work to prioritize the gift of waiting on God’s provision while living in the peace of his presence.

Written by Susan Simmons, director of development communications for Buckner International.