The exercises given by Jesus will help to grow our trust in God, but what do we do with the exceptions? Various times in Scripture there are believers who go without basic needs. In our day and age, there are also believers who suffer persecution. North Korea, Nigeria, and so forth—there are many countries where Christians are not provided for in the way that Jesus seems to have promised.

The reality of Christian suffering should prompt us to realize that the provision of basic needs is not absolute. Or rather, God’s promise of care is not a promise that life will be sustained with regular meals and continue for 70 or 80 years. By the grace of God, such is often the case, but it is not always the case. We will be provided for by our Father as long as it pleases him to do so and to keep us in this world. Hunger and hardship might come and if it does, it does not lie outside his will. We do not become angry and despondent in those situations; we remember that we are pilgrims in this world and that our true citizenship is in heaven.

This was the way and example of our Lord Jesus Christ. True man, he trusted his Father to know what is best. Throughout his life, he was never anxious, he was never worried that God would stop caring for him. Even in his darkest moments of suffering, he remained unwavering in his commitment to the Father’s will. Through pain, through death, he gave his life to please the Father, to secure our future. In this he showed us that suffering is not the worst that can happen to us. He showed us why we can rejoice when we are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, that there is a life hereafter. He showed us that communion with God, peace with God is the most precious gift that we can enjoy, a gift to be prized above all else, a privilege for which we must be willing even to die.

Still, it is not easy to remain faithful in hardship. It is not easy to let go of anxiety as we work. It is hard to live as a pilgrim in this world and take hold of God’s promises. That is why our Lord Jesus gives us are not only exercises to promote our trust in God, but also his Spirit. The Spirit who dwells in us so that we call God Father. The Spirit who helps us to embrace the truths of God’s word and set our hearts on things above. The Spirit who nourishes and feeds us with the true body and blood of Christ when we partake of Holy Communion. As we come to the Lord’s Table, we come as those who are anxious but want to be confident. We come as those who believe but need help for our unbelief. We come to be fed by our Lord so that we will grow in our confidence that he cares for us and in our desire to seek his will.