In a world that obsesses over always having more, we must always remember that God is our portion (Lamentations 3:24). We don’t need the trinkets and baubles of this life. We don’t need fame, success, or notoriety. All we need is Jesus (John 6:35). Jeremiah knew his very existence was because of God’s faithful love (Lamentations 3:22).
No matter how desperate the situation or circumstances, the prophet rested in the goodness of God. Many centuries later, the Apostle Paul would echo those same sentiments when he wrote that God would supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19). Faithful men of God throughout history have understood what we have forgotten: we need nothing else in life but God Himself (Psalm 73:25).
When God is our portion in life, the best is always yet to come. Before he ever became king, David recognized that there was nothing better in life than God (Psalm 16:5). He put his future in God’s hands, trusting Him with whatever would happen. David didn’t pursue the kingship; his pursuit was of God alone. In his case, he found great success and wealth in this life. But none of that mattered to him or else the Lord would not have called David “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22). Sometimes seeking God results in great wealth in this world, but it will always result in even greater wealth in the world to come (Matthew 6:20).
Asaph wrote that even if his flesh and heart would fail, God would still be his strength and portion forever (Psalm 73:26). If we lose everything in this life, we still have more than we could ever want or need in God. He is more than enough to satisfy the deepest longings of our hearts, and He is aware of all our needs (Matthew 6:7-8). When we focus on the things above (Colossians 3:2), the things down here don’t seem so important after all (1 John 2:15-17).
When God is our portion, He is our shelter in the storm (Psalm 142:5) and protection in the spiritual battles we face every day (Psalm 28:7). Whether he had a little or a lot, Paul knew what it was like to be content (Philippians 4:11-12). His contentment was possible because, like the Levitical priests of old, he understood and took comfort in knowing that God was his portion (Numbers 18:20). He needed nothing else, and neither do we.
Imagine how much less stress we would have if we recognized God is our portion. We have nothing to prove to anyone in this life. There is no need to exhaust ourselves accumulating things that will never last and we can never keep (Luke 12:15; Matthew 6:19). We exist to know and glorify God (Isaiah 43:7; 1 Corinthians 10:31). Nothing else matters and only serves to clutter that reality. If we seek God’s Kingdom first at all times, He promises to provide whatever we need (Matthew 6:31-33).
What we need most is God Himself. We need Him more than food, clothing, security, or money. If we have nothing but God, we are as rich as any man who has ever lived. Our pursuit in this life should be of God alone and then trust Him to take care of the rest. All this senseless striving is getting us nowhere and damaging our usefulness to the Kingdom. Put away your love for the things and ways of this world and love God and only God (Deuteronomy 6:5; 1 John 2:15-17). He is our portion forever (Psalm 73:26). In that, we should rest, rejoice and be glad (Philippians 4:4; Psalm 118:24).