Trusting God's Generosity Over Political Scarcity
“God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything he knows.” -- Tim Keller
Mid term primaries are in full swing. This is a time in our country when open seats create a deep sense of scarcity. Alaska, Wyoming, and Florida all have open governor seats. Others (including Illinois) have open seats to fill in the House and Senate in November. The scarcity of these positions of power feel even more important when considering the scarcity many Americas are feeling in everyday life.
In many ways scarcity is a political tool. A politician learns to use the conditions of scarcity––limited housing, evaporating natural resources, and shrinking opportunities––to cast themselves as the giver of abundance. All we have to do is give them the open seat.
This sense of not having enough, reframes our relationship with the Heavenly Father and leaks into our prayer life. While we might trust that "the cattle on a thousand hills" belongs to him and that he can supply any of our needs "according to his riches in glory," we often succumb to asking out of fear (Psalm 50:10b and Philippians 4:19b). Or, not asking at all.
One way this shows up in my prayer life is that I avoid specificity. In other words, when someone in my group is sick, I may ask the Lord for things like peace and endurance, but I feel hesitant to ask for physical healing. When I have a financial need, I'm good asking for help or confessing my greed or materialism, but I'm less comfortable speaking with him in numbers. What this reveals in me is that I think I have to ask God for things with just the right posture and perfect theology, or else he won't give it to me.
While it's good to seek humility, scarcity is a terrible (and destructive) motivation.
Ultimately, I'm not believing the gospel. I'm prone to think, I need to get close to God by using the right words. That my righteousness loosens his grip on his resources. But the gospel says, God has already come to me. He has already given me the treasure of heaven. His Son left his rightful seat in glory in order to draw close to me and you, because "it's your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32b).
You see, his generosity isn't based on our words. It's based on his. And he delights to bless his children. In fact, the Scriptures teach us that “God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything he knows.” He's not a God of scarcity. He's the God of generosity.
Perhaps you think a particular candidate is just the right fit for whatever open seat has your attention this election cycle. And, it's good to ask the Lord for that specific thing. But it's even better to trust that no matter who sits in power come November, God will be abundantly kind to us now and forever.
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Timothy Keller, Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God (New York: Dutton, 2014), 228. The quote also appears on Keller's verified social media: Facebook post.
For the 2026 primary calendar, see NBC News. Alaska, Wyoming, and Florida all have open gubernatorial races due to term limits. See also Ballotpedia for state-by-state breakdowns.
On Illinois' open seats: Senator Dick Durbin announced his retirement, creating an open Senate seat. See WBEZ Chicago. Illinois also has five open U.S. House seats (IL-02, IL-04, IL-07, IL-08, IL-09). See Ballotpedia.
Derek Thompson, "Abundance Can Be America's Next Political Order," The Atlantic, March 2025, https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/03/abundance-americas-next-political-order/682069/.
All Scripture quotations are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
