Why do millions die of hunger when God promises throughout the Bible to feed us physically?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Lynsey3
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
L

Lynsey3

Guest
There are MANY verses all over the Bible of God telling us not to worry because he will provide for our physical needs. One example is Matthew 6:25-34… "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

So why do millions die of hunger, dehydration, and lack of shelter? It seems that God isn’t keeping His promises?
 
He also told US to fulfill these prayers and “give, expecting nothing in return”. God shouldn’t have to commit miracles when he already commanded his church to help.

People die because others are greedy. Especially this world built on usury.

And I hope it burns soon btw.
 
Last edited:
I totally agree that if all Christians gave to the poor like it is expected of us, then all these things wouldn’t be a problem. Agree 100%. But I wish God would have attached that stipulation to all the verses of Him promising to provide. If He knew Christians weren’t going to feed all the hungry, then I wish He never would have made those promises. Or if He made those promises, to say, “but only if Christians obey” at the end of every promise. Why does he tell us not to worry bc He will provide if He knows that many wont be provided for?
 
Well, to be fair, this is a good question. I’m still trying to figure it out. But I think it’s also to judge which one of us is worthy… to give freely, as we were blessed to have received freely.

Even St. Peter was commanded this, from the Resurrected Jesus. “Do you love me? Feed my sheep.”
 
Last edited:
People starve mainly because of corrupt government and people thinking all they have to do is pay taxes and they’ve done their part.
 
I’ve tried to believe it isn’t literal but then how do you explain, "What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and _all these things will be given to you as well

Doesn’t “all these things” refer to our basic needs? And it’s not just these verses. There are many more that are plainly literal.
 
To be fair, Jesus wasn’t speaking to everyone in the Sermon on the Mount. But his followers. Yet, he did tell his followers to be a light to the world, in that very same sermon.
 
Last edited:
Whatever the reasons people starve… God seems to promise He will provide. He is God, He can provide despite whatever evil people do. And He seems to promise He will, and that we shouldn’t worry.
 
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Matt 21:22

Apparently only some statements are meant to be taken literally.
 
What do you mean? What do you think it means when He says “all these things will be added to you” in reference to food, water, and clothes?
 
To reiterate my last post, it’s not some universalist text for everyone. For he talks about “pagans” chasing after things in that very same passage. He’s talking to his followers.
There’s times when Jesus wasn’t all inclusive. He even called a Canaanite woman a dog. He said in other places that his mission was first to the lost sheep of Israel. So you have to put it in that context. Not something many want to hear, I imagine.
 
Totally get that. But then why do so many Christians starve? Esp Christian children?
 
Right now, I can point to why it’s happening in Syria. Because many in the church serve Satan. Not Christ. Especially the Zionists, who keep pushing for these Middle East wars.

I doubt many want to hear me go on about that.
 
Thanks for writing, and what you say is true to a large extent in the modern day. With global monitoring, the problem of starvation has been greatly reduced in the last 100 years.

I do know some folks in the South Sudan were eating leaves, but aside from isolated issues like that, starvation is unheard of in much of the world.

So overall, I think God is providing.
 
I think God has more in mind than starvation… but I do think you have a good point. It’s improved in some ways, less in others.

I think Jesus’ passage in the sermon is about necessities in general. In which case, many in the Church suffer.
 
SuperLuigi said:
I do know some folks in the South Sudan were eating leaves, but aside from isolated issues like that, starvation is unheard of in much of the world.

So overall, I think God is providing.
Click to expand...
I hope that wasn’t a serious comment!

“It is estimated that a person dies of hunger or hunger-related causes every ten seconds…”

http://www.poverty.com/
 
There’s another issue.

Government corruption.

Grain in the past has been donated to needy nations, and governments have stockpiled it or destroyed it - I can remember reading that one leader told his people back in the 1980s that the reason so many Africans were dying of AIDS was because the UN had poisoned the grain sent to them during famines. There were pictures in National Geographic and in news at the time of the grain rotting in warehouses.

Completely true. Only one story, yes, but it goes on.
 
I really appreciate everyone’s thoughts but my main question is still unanswered. There are a lot of reasons for hunger but that’s not my struggle. Whether the problem of hunger in our world is getting better or not, millions of people have died of hunger since Jesus made that promise. Why did He make that promise if He knew that there would be all these reasons causing hunger in the world? And like I said, there are many other verses like this. God is all knowing, and if He knew that millions would die of starvation, why did He keep making that promise?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top