TRUST

The Backstory

When Paul wrote these words he was in prison, most likely in Rome. Because of his status as a Roman citizen, he was under house arrest. He had to rent his own apartment and provide for all his own needs. There was at least one guard with him night and day, and it is quite possible that he would have been constantly chained to a guard. Yet, compared to the squalidness of the dungeons, he was relatively comfortable.

Accommodation in Rome was expensive, and Paul had no means to fund his own living expenses during the years he was imprisoned there. Thus he relied on gifts from his friends. The Philippians had been generous to him in the past, and now that he was imprisoned, they not only sent him an extraordinarily generous gift of money to supply his needs, but they also sent Epaphroditus to serve him and meet all his personal needs—acting as a beloved companion to Paul, caring for Paul’s health and welfare, purchasing what Paul required, and being Paul’s outside contact to the world.

Paul recognized the sacrificial nature of this gift from his friends in Philippi. He knew that they had given above and beyond what they were financially able to give, and he poured out words of commendation and thankfulness for their service to him, assuring them that God would supply all of their needs, that they would not be bereft in any way because of their sacrificial gift:

“And my God will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

What will God supply?

The word translated “supply” is the Greek word pleroo, which has a depth of meaning that goes far beyond the concept of meeting needs. Literally, it means to make full, or fill up, or to bring to completion. And in matters of duty or responsibility, it carries the concept of accomplishing or executing the task set before us.

The word translated “needs” is singular, meaning that the translation more accurately would read “need.” In other words, God cares about each and every need that we have no matter how insignificant that need is. God delights in micromanaging every aspect of the complete fulfillment of our smallest, seemingly most insignificant need.

Beyond that, Paul assures the Philippians that their needs will be met according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

What exactly does that mean?

First of all, the riches are God’s, not Christ’s. But the riches are in Christ. The riches originate in God the Father and are fully present in His Son Jesus.

Jesus and the Father are one. What is in the Father is in Jesus, and because our trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ, we now have access to all of the Father’s riches that are present in Jesus.

What are those riches?

They are His riches in glory. And yes, the Greek word means in, not of. So the riches that are available to us are not glory’s riches, but rather they are riches that are embeddedin God’s beauty, His wisdom, His perfection, His holiness—His glory.

Infinite riches immersed and suffused in God’s preeminent glory. Riches that are part of the fabric of His glory—part of the glory of His glory.

God has made all of His riches in glory available to us who are in Christ Jesus. When we reach out to take hold of the riches He has made available to us, they come enveloped in glory. And glory is often (but not aways) accompanied by magnificent displays of light, sound, sensations or emotions. Our spirits know when the glory of God is being manifest.

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven”(Matthew 5:16).

The light that God desires to shine through us flows from His glory.

How does that apply to us now, in the 21st century?

For me, I need illumination and revelation. I need to quickly develop a skill set beyond my current capacity. I need the courage and strength to quickly and decisively tackle a challenging task. I need a greater intimacy with the Lord in order to bring this task to completion. And above all, I have a sense that God desires this complex project to be completed within a very short space of time—far shorter than what I thought was possible.

But God’s promise to me is that He will personally supply each one of my needs. I was looking at my lack, and God was absolutely confident in His ability to supply that which I thought was lacking in me. I was mired in self-doubt, questioning whether I was hearing God correctly and struggling with my lack of progress, but God was confident in me and the task set before me because He is the One completely filling me with everything I need to accomplish this task.

Does that mean I can leave everything up to Him?

Absolutely not. I still have a great deal of responsibility in the completion of the task set before me. God expects me to put my hand to the plow, to sacrificially give of the very best of myself, my time, my energy and my money. The Kingdom is not built by those who sit idly waiting upon God. It is built by builders who sacrifice greatly for the sake of the One who is worthy.

If this immense, complicated task is from God, then He has been preparing me for this from time immemorial. He created me to do this task. He placed in me everything that I would need to accomplish it. 2 Peter 1:3 states that “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness,” and the verb “has granted” is in the perfect tense, meaning that it is an action that has already been completed. It is finished. God has already supplied my need.

I may not see His provision yet. I may have to look deep inside myself to discover what He has already placed within me to accomplish the task. I may have to courageously step into unknown waters, trusting that He will not let me drown. And I may have to ask God to open my eyes so that I can see the external resources that He has already provided for me.

But God will provide.

© Christine Fisher
March 2026