Question 1

When I’m being deprived, how should I respond?

Accepted Answer

1 Samuel 1:2, 11, 20, 27Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not. . . . And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.” . . . and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.” . . . I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request.Psalm 33:17-21Don’t count on your warhorse to give you victory—for all its strength, it cannot save you. But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love. . . . In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.Psalm 37:17-19The strength of the wicked will be shattered, but the Lord takes care of the godly. Day by day the Lord takes care of the innocent, and they will receive an inheritance that lasts forever. They will not be disgraced in hard times.Psalm 50:15Call on me when you are in trouble, and I will rescue you, and you will give me glory.When you get less of something, ask if God wants you to have more of something else. It is important to go to God with your hurts and to trust him to show you what you really lack and really need.Proverbs 30:8First, help me never to tell a lie. Second, give me neither poverty nor riches! Give me just enough to satisfy my needs.Ecclesiastes 6:9Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.Luke 9:25“What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?”Luke 12:15Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”Luke 12:31“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.”In a world where success is often measured by possessions and the size of our bank accounts, it can be hard to be content with what God has given us. When we don’t get what we want, God may be trying to refocus our eyes on him and what he wants for us. When we align our priorities with God’s, we can begin to recognize and enjoy all that he has given us.

Question 2

Are there ways that I am guilty of depriving myself?

Accepted Answer

John 11:19Many of the people had come to console Martha and Mary in their loss.Do not deprive yourself of the comfort others can offer. Losing a loved one may help you gain the love and comfort of other loved ones.Psalm 86:4Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you.Lamentations 3:18-22I cry out, “My splendor is gone! Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss. Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this: The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.Habakkuk 3:18Yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!2 Corinthians 8:2They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.The joy of the Lord may grow from material deprivation. Spiritual joy does not depend on material excess. How silly of us to say we have nothing when we are children of the God who created everything. We must learn to value the priceless gifts God has already given us. We often deprive ourselves of the joy of God’s providence by failing to be grateful for the many things he has provided.

Question 3

Does God ever deprive his children?

Accepted Answer

Deuteronomy 2:7“For the Lord your God has blessed you in everything you have done. He has watched your every step through this great wilderness. During these forty years, the Lord your God has been with you, and you have lacked nothing.”Nehemiah 9:21For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell!Psalm 4:7You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine.Psalm 31:19How great is the goodness you have stored up for those who fear you. You lavish it on those who come to you for protection, blessing them before the watching world.Psalm 34:10Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.Psalm 84:11The Lord God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right.Proverbs 10:6The godly are showered with blessings; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.Proverbs 13:21Trouble chases sinners, while blessings reward the righteous.Isaiah 45:3“And I will give you treasures hidden in the darkness—secret riches. I will do this so you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, the one who calls you by name.”Jeremiah 29:11“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”Matthew 6:33“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”John 16:24“Ask, using my name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy.”Acts 2:28“‘You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’”2 Corinthians 9:10God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.God blesses his children with what he knows we should have, rather than what we think we must have. When we are feeling deprived, we must first ask what we are being deprived of. Rarely does this deprivation come from God, but rather from our own distorted perspective of what we think we need.Deuteronomy 28:2“You will experience all these blessings if you obey the Lord your God.”Deuteronomy 30:19“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!”Jeremiah 5:25Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings. Your sin has robbed you of all these good things.Jeremiah 6:19“Listen, all the earth! I will bring disaster on my people. It is the fruit of their own schemes, because they refuse to listen to me. They have rejected my word.”Jeremiah 15:7“I will winnow you like grain at the gates of your cities and take away the children you hold dear. I will destroy my own people, because they refuse to change their evil ways.”Jeremiah 25:8-12“And now the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Because you have not listened to me, I will gather together all the armies of the north under King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, whom I have appointed as my deputy. I will bring them all against this land and its people and against the surrounding nations. . . . I will take away your happy singing and laughter.”Jeremiah 26:3“Perhaps they will listen and turn from their evil ways. Then I will change my mind about the disaster I am ready to pour out on them because of their sins.”Jeremiah 44:20-25It was because the Lord could no longer bear all the disgusting things you were doing that he made your land an object of cursing—a desolate ruin without inhabitants—as it is today. All these terrible things happened to you because you have burned incense to idols and sinned against the Lord. You have refused to obey him and have not followed his instructions, his decrees, and his laws.Ezekiel 12:16, 19“But I will spare a few of them from death by war, famine, or disease, so they can confess all their detestable sins to their captors. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”Haggai 1:8-12“You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses. It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops.”Haggai 2:17“I sent blight and mildew and hail to destroy everything you worked so hard to produce. Even so, you refused to return to me, says the Lord.”God may deprive us in order to discipline us and bring us to repentance and restored fellowship with him. God’s motive in depriving us is not to express his anger; it is to draw us closer to him. For some of us, the only way we will reach out to God is if we have nothing else in our hands.Job 1:8-11, 20-22Then the Lord asked Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil.” Satan replied to the Lord, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. . . . But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” . . . Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said, “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!” In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.Job 2:10“Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.Job 42:1-5, 12-17So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning.Matthew 25:29“To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.”God may deprive us to test our faith. Deprivation can prove, strengthen, and deepen our relationship with God. How we respond to deprivation can be a powerful witness to a watching world.

Question 4

Are there ways to avoid deprivation?

Accepted Answer

Proverbs 3:1-2My child, never forget the things I have taught you. Store my commands in your heart. If you do this, you will live many years, and your life will be satisfying.Proverbs 6:26A prostitute will bring you to poverty, but sleeping with another man’s wife will cost you your life.Proverbs 13:18If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honored.Proverbs 20:13If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open, and there will be plenty to eat!Proverbs 21:5Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.Jude 1:21Await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will bring you eternal life. In this way, you will keep yourselves safe in God’s love.It sounds simple, but the Bible makes it clear that good planning, hard work, and discipline will almost always provide you with the basic necessities of life. The Bible goes on to say that if you obey God by obeying the truths and principles in his Word, he will provide you with a quality of life you could never have had otherwise. This quality of life cannot be measured by material prosperity, but by the peace of mind and deep joy that are possible for those who live each day in God’s presence. Obedience to God and his calling for your life ensures that you won’t be deprived of your eternal life with God and your ability to love and care for others.

Question 5

What will God do to those who deprive others?

Accepted Answer

Deuteronomy 15:9“Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin.”Proverbs 28:27Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to poverty will be cursed.Jeremiah 5:28-30“They are fat and sleek, and there is no limit to their wicked deeds. They refuse to provide justice to orphans and deny the rights of the poor. Should I not punish them for this?” says the Lord. “Should I not avenge myself against such a nation?”Lamentations 3:35-37If they deprive others of their rights in defiance of the Most High, if they twist justice in the courts—doesn’t the Lord see all these things?Malachi 3:5“At that time I will put you on trial. . . . I will speak against those who cheat employees of their wages, who oppress widows and orphans, or who deprive the foreigners living among you of justice, for these people do not fear me,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.Matthew 25:41-45“For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.”Mark 12:40“Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished.”1 Thessalonians 2:15-16Some of the Jews killed the prophets, and some even killed the Lord Jesus. Now they have persecuted us, too. They fail to please God and work against all humanity as they try to keep us from preaching the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles. By doing this, they continue to pile up their sins. But the anger of God has caught up with them at last.Withholding help from those in dire need is sin. We deprive others when we have a chance to help someone in need but ignore them or refuse to do anything. While some who deprive others experience God’s judgment while still on earth, all who deprive others will receive his judgment eventually.

Question 6

Are there things we should deprive ourselves of?

Accepted Answer

Psalm 15:3-5Those who refuse to gossip or harm their neighbors or speak evil of their friends. Those who despise flagrant sinners, and honor the faithful followers of the Lord, and keep their promises even when it hurts. Those who lend money without charging interest, and who cannot be bribed to lie about the innocent. Such people will stand firm forever.Psalm 101:3I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar. I hate all who deal crookedly; I will have nothing to do with them.Psalm 119:101I have refused to walk on any evil path, so that I may remain obedient to your word.Isaiah 56:2“Blessed are those who honor my Sabbath days of rest and keep themselves from doing wrong.”Colossians 3:5So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.Colossians 3:9Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.Hebrews 12:1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.We must deprive ourselves of sin. Jesus’ death and resurrection free us from slavery to sin, allowing us to live as God wants us to live. We can trust him to give us the wisdom and power to remove sin from our lives.Psalm 17:4I have followed your commands, which keep me from following cruel and evil people.Psalm 26:5I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked.Titus 3:10If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them.We must deprive ourselves of harmful relationships that endanger our relationship with God and with those we love, or endanger the health of the church.