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God: The Ultimate Room of Requirement, No Wizardry Needed

Okay, I’m only a couple decades behind the game, but I recently finished watching the Harry Potter movies for the first time. Is that crazy? I bought my nephew, who’s a big Harry Potter reader and fan, tickets to see the Kansas City Symphony play the musical score of the final movie while it plays on a big screen above the musicians. Having never seen the movies, I asked a friend, “Do you think I’ll be able to enjoy the movie and at least kinda understand what’s going on, even if I haven’t seen any of the previous movies?” She said very plainly, “No. You need to watch them all.” So she and I slowly but surely plugged away… Scheduling and enjoying movie marathons so that when showtime comes for my nephew and I, I would be fully caught up and prepared to enjoy the symphony’s presentation.

In the fifth movie, “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” Harry and his wizard friends are at school with an increased sense of urgency for learning wizardry since the evil Lord Voldemort has returned. They know they’ll soon need to defend themselves against the darkness in very real and serious ways. But the Ministry of Magic is in denial about Voldemort’s reemergence, so they infiltrate Harry’s school and refuse to teach him and his classmates the spells they need to defend themselves. 

In response, a group of students secretly bands together to learn the spells anyway, under Harry’s careful instruction. Of course, this must be done in utter secrecy. Enter: the Room of Requirement. In Harry Potter’s fantastical universe, the Room of Requirement is a magical room in Hogwarts, Harry’s school. It appears magically when students are in need of it, and it provides whatever is required. All you have to do is walk past a certain wall and think hard about what you need, and it materializes—only for the person or people who need it. The Room of Requirement provides a safe, secret place for Harry to teach his classmates what they need to know to defend themselves and the school against the enemy. 

It’s fun to get lost in a world like that of Harry Potter, where magic and fantasy reign. A world where you can just think about something you need, and a whole secret room will appear and meet your needs! Of course, our world is anything but magical, but we do have a God who meets our needs in the most wise and flawless way. He is our perfect provider. There are so many Bible stories that illustrate this: 

  • He parted the Red Sea and provided dry ground for the Israelites to walk on when they needed escape from the pursuing Egyptians. 
  • He provided food and water when the Israelites needed sustenance during their years living in the wilderness. 
  • He provided countless military victories in miraculous fashion when Israel needed a defender throughout the Old Testament.
  • He provided David with unlikely power when he needed help defeating a giant.
  • He provided Esther with courage and success when she needed to stand up against King Xerxes, who was set to kill her people. 
  • He provided the disciples the power to heal and cast out demons when they needed His authority as they were building the early church after Jesus’ ascension into Heaven.

The list could keep going and going. Jesus still meets our needs today. We can ask Him for what we need, and He will supply it in His perfect wisdom, timing and ways. 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. -Philippians 4:6

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:19

Now remember, God has a different view of our lives than we do. He can see the big picture, including the future, which obviously we can’t. So as He perfectly meets our needs, the way He works may be different from what we think is right or best. As Isaiah 55:8-9 says, He thinks differently than we do. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours! But even when God’s provision looks different than we envisioned, our needs are ultimately met.

What are you in need of today? Here are a few verses to help remind you of how God can and will provide in your times of need. 

Aren’t you glad we don’t need to live in a world of magical wizards, spells and potions? We serve a God who is all powerful, all knowing, and always present—everywhere and at every time. He meets our needs perfectly. We don’t need to step into a Room of Requirement; we can turn to Him in prayer from right where we are. No fancy words, rituals or locations are needed. Thank you, God, for being our ultimate, wise provider! What an incredible blessing and privilege, to be intimately and abundantly cared for by the Almighty Creator of the universe.