Why do people still die of starvation when Jesus says God will provide food and clothing etc?
Jesus says don't be anxious about your life what you will wear etc. Why do people still starve to death?
Matthew 6:25 - 34
ESV - 25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
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Asked September 01 2013
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Jade Enright
Supporter
Kelli Trujillo
Supporter
I think that there are a few things to consider here. First of all, the Bible tells us that when we have a need, we are to ask God in faith: Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." James 5: 13-16 "Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." My husband and I used to run an inner city ministry and we depended on donations to eat, literally. There were many times when we did not know where our next meal was coming from, but we continued to pray, and God never let us go hungry. Also, Jesus told us that we would always have the poor with us (Matt. 26:11), and it is His desire for us to meet the needs of others. We are His hands and feet now, and He wants us to take our eyes off our ourselves and to look out for the needs of others as a testimony of His goodness, kindness and generosity. There are those who do not know that they need to ask God, or they are asking the wrong "gods" to feed their hunger. This is a fantastic opportunity for Christians to share the gospel with them, by meeting their need for food. In spite of the fact that God provides for His own, I know that there are people who have starved to death who were very devout Christians who probably asked for provision. In these cases, I would have to answer that there is a fate worse than physical death, which is spiritual death. When Jesus was asked by His disciples once if he was hungry, He replied to them that He had "food that they didn't know about," and that His food was "to do the will of God." As Christians, we are heavenly beings, our priorities are different than those of people who don't know Jesus. Death does not hold the same sting or power over us that it does for others; therefore, for the Christian to starve to death is not the ultimately tragic end that it is for others.