Trusting Jesus with Your Finances

A Christian and therapeutic reflection on money, anxiety, and God’s provision

I recently spoke with a client who lost her job unexpectedly, and the issue of finances inevitably arose. We got to the question, How much do you need? How much income is enough? And while yes, there is a concrete answer to how much it takes to pay your bills and put food on the table, the issue was much deeper than that. It was a spiritual question. I told that client something I firmly believe:

“When your worth is in your money, there is no such thing as enough;
but when you find your worth in Jesus, there is no such thing as not enough.”

Who do we truly trust to provide for us? When sudden expenses or income changes occur, where do we turn? These aren’t just academic questions—they reflect how our faith guides our real-life responses to financial challenges. These are the questions clients bring to therapy.

In light of these recurring questions and challenges, I want to share a few thoughts, based on both personal experience and scriptural guidance, specifically regarding how I, in my roles as a Therapist, Children’s Minister, and primarily as a follower of Christ, seek to trust Jesus with my finances. And I want to dive into the Word of God and see what our Creator has to say about these very natural challenges we face.

Matthew 6:25–34 — God’s Word on Worry and Provision

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? Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? Consider how the lilies of the field grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own.

Finances Are Hard — And Jesus Meets Us in the Hard

Finances can be challenging. I won't sit here and claim that it’s all easy or claim that ‘if you're a Christian, you shouldn't have hard times’. Life is hard, and Jesus walks with us through the hard times. Things cost money, and a job is a necessity. Often, the economy feels unfair. You have to make choices about what to buy and when to tell yourself — or even harder, a loved one — no. But in the midst of those hard things, we have someone to turn to.

In Matthew 6, Jesus reminds us of who our Father is: Who takes care of us? The Creator of the world. There is nothing He is not in control of. Are you hungry? Who made seeds, and makes them grow? Are you thirsty? Who makes rain fall from the sky? Are you struggling to pay the bills? Who provides a job?

Look to HIM.

But as I hear from my clients, and feel for myself, sometimes this isn't easy. What do you do when the anxiety rises, and you feel your chest get tight? What do you do when you don't have enough, and the bill is due?

Five Steps for Trusting Jesus With Your Finances

1. Choose Who You Will Listen To

Before you can accomplish anything, you must pause. Stop and notice. Whose voice are you listening to? When I ask my clients this, they often ask me, in return, “How do I know?”
Who does it sound like? A loving Father or an accusing enemy? Does this voice leave you with peace or stress and anxiety? Does what you are believing align with the Word of God?

If you are anxious and worried, if you feel like you are never enough, this isn't God’s voice.

2. Know What God Says

It’s easy for Satan to sneak in and throw darts at you unnoticed when you aren’t sure what the right answer is. If your shield isn't built, the enemy will attack. But don’t get too upset and sit down and pout.

Now is the time to fight.

Identify the lie and go find the truth. Speak God’s word over your life — not once, not twice, but over and over again.

3. Don’t Give Up — Endure

Don't expect the enemy to give up as soon as you start fighting back. Winning a battle takes time. Read and re-read those verses over and over again. Hide them in your heart. Pray, ask God to comfort you and to give you wisdom. Each time the enemy brings worry to your mind, speak truth —

God will provide.

And remember that God’s provision might not look like what you expect or want.

4. Act

As you feel the voice of God — not the voice of fear — giving you wisdom, do what God gives you to do. Notice step one wasn't to go out and get a new job. Pause, listen, pray, discern, then move.

Sometimes God’s commands are simple, and sometimes they are more confusing than we could ever imagine. He might tell you to plant a garden, or He might tell you to give away 10% of what you make to the church. He will likely call you to do something you think is hard. He looks for obedience and faith.

Sometimes we sit in the hard places longer than we wish we would. Sometimes we only see a glimpse and feel like we are barely making it. But don't be fooled. You aren’t alone. Go back to step 3 and endure. Don't start second-guessing or wondering if God ever will.

Remind yourself that HE IS FAITHFUL.

Repeat steps 1–4 as often as necessary until you reach step 5.

5. Praise

Eventually, when the time is right, you will have an answer. God may give you what you are asking for — be it finances, a home, a baby, or anything else. As we wait, we trust in God’s perfect timing. Knowing, as Psalm 100 declares, He is God, and we are not. He knows when it’s right. He knows how much growing we have to do, how much we need to overcome, and when everything else in this world is lined up to be just right.

Not all that long ago, my husband and I were praying for a home to call our own. We were living in a condo with an HOA, not far from a busy road with no yard. We weren't home much, but it never really felt like home to us. So we prayed. And we waited. We waited, and we prayed. We looked at houses, and none of them were right. We couldn't find anything. For years. Trying to garden in containers, or at work, we lived life putting one foot in front of the other. Frustrated, disappointed, and sometimes angry. But we kept giving it to God. It wasn’t easy.

Then one day, we were looking at yet another house that we weren’t too sure about. Would it be a money pit? We received a phone call, and my mom said, “Don't do anything yet.” Someone at work wants you to see her mother’s house. So later that night, we went to look at a house not yet on the market.

It was perfect. Maybe not perfect for anyone else, but perfect for us! Just a few houses away from my grandparents, and not far from work. It had a beautiful yard and was just enough of a project, but not a fixer-upper. Everything we had been praying for was right there.

In God’s timing, it was all perfectly in place. A year earlier, we wouldn't have been able to afford it. It didn't come when I wanted it. But it was exactly right on time.

God answers prayer. God provides. Don’t give up. Keep on praying, trusting, and walking with Jesus each day.

Scriptures to Memorize Around Trust and Money

Psalm 20:7 — Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

Matthew 6:25 - 27 — Look at the birds of the air… Are you not much more valuable than they?

Psalm 23:1 — The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Philippians 4:19 — And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6 — Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Genesis 8:22 — As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest… shall never cease.

Tip: Don’t just read or memorize these verses; look them up. Read the verses around them. Read the whole chapter. Ask God to give you His comfort and show you His provision.