In Matthew 6:16–18 Jesus taught on the topic of fasting. A common practice at the time when he ministered, fasting was a means of demonstrating sorrow for sin and dependence on God. He is big, we are small, and in the hierarchy of human needs he comes first. He is the one who makes our hearts beat day by day. He is the one who gives us strength to breathe. In the words of the Psalmist (Psalm 3:1–8), we lie down for sleep and wake again only because the Lord sustains us. Yes, we are completely dependent on God for everything we have, everything we are, and we confess that reality when we fast.

Recognizing our dependence on God, we must nevertheless also appreciate the fact that God has chosen to care for us through means. He has established a world with times and seasons. He has put various laws in place to govern this universe, and though he is free to circumvent those laws and sustain us in miraculous ways without food or drink, he does not ordinarily do so. Ordinarily he sustains us through means.

We eat bread. We drink water. We go to sleep in a home on a bed so that our bodies can recover and get rid of toxins. We were made for life on earth, and it is here on earth and through earth that God cares for us. Six days of labour, one day of rest and worship (Exodus 20:8–11)—our lives are spent in work. Getting up early to care for animals. Chopping and then crafting wood for furniture, baking bricks so as to build a home, growing cotton to make clothes, planting and preparing food—work is the ordinary means by which God provides for all people, both the just and the unjust. Your pantry at home, your bank account—neither is filled simply because you have prayed. God does not work through magic but through means.

After the Fall, as a result of our rebellion against God and expulsion from his presence, human beings generally do not trust God to care for them. We do not trust God to look after us through the ordinary means of work. We do not trust God’s plan for our life. We do not trust him to work things for our good. We do not live with the expectation of life in a glorious new creation. As we have seen earlier in Jesus’ sermon, we naturally fall into the category of hypocrite. Unable to meet the perfect standards of God’s law we try to find other means of securing his favour, the praise of men being a particular favourite.

But that is not all we do. We also look for security and comfort apart from God. If we do not know him as our Father who will provide, then we think we must do so ourselves, through goods and possessions, money and riches. If we can secure as many resources as possible, then we can have our best life now. We will not be dependent on God and coupled with the praise of men; we will have our ticket to life in glory.

Of course, this kind of thinking is an illusion. Our lives can be taken from us in a moment, and we are not in control of this world, not by any means. Still, there is an element of comfort that comes with riches: the security of knowing that there is food for your final years, the ability to call a doctor whenever you have an ailment, a place to call home. Money certainly makes things easier in a fallen world; no one wants to suffer if they can avoid it. Christian or not, we all need resources to live, and money is the one that gives us the most options. It is a treasure that provides security.