The Promise in the Overflow

July 28th, 2025
by Michael Heiden

Proverbs 3:9–10

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.”

When I look back at our first year of marriage, I still don’t know how we made it. We were both finishing school. No health insurance. Almost no income—I worked at a restaurant. We were young, idealistic, and very much living on love and a prayer. Yet somehow, we never went without. Looking back, I see God’s hand all over it. We didn’t have much—but He provided.

Now, years later, with kids, a mortgage, jobs, and far more “stability,” I sometimes find it harder to feel secure. It’s ironic, isn’t it? One of our deepest human needs is for security—and the more we accumulate, the more tempted we are to trust in money or stuff as our safety net. But the more we do, the more we elevate the gift over the Giver.

Giving Honor Where It’s Due

Proverbs invites us to “honor the Lord with your wealth.” That begins with gratitude. It reframes everything we have—however little or much—as a way to thank the One who provides. When we do that, we start seeing money and possessions not as a source of control, but as an opportunity to trust.

What stands out in Proverbs 3 is the word “plenty.”
God promises our barns will be filled with plenty—but what does that even mean? My definition of plenty probably doesn’t match yours. And let’s be honest, none of us match God’s definition. For example, my kids and I have very different views on what a “plenty-sized” bowl of ice cream looks like! But as a parent, I know what’s best for them. Same with God—He knows exactly what we need.

Provision Doesn’t Always Look Like a Paycheck

We often hear “God will provide” and think of income or resources. But His provision comes in all kinds of forms:

Peace when we should be anxious
Wisdom when we’re uncertain
Unexpected opportunities at just the right moment

This is the nature of God’s care—faithful, generous, timely. When we honor Him first, we open ourselves to experience His kind of provision

Honor First—Then Overflow

“Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing…”

—Proverbs 3:9–10

God invites us to give from our first, not our leftovers. Not what feels “safe.”
And in return, He promises to care for us—not with a transaction, but with relationship.
When we trust Him, He meets us with more than enough.