The Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of everything, has blessed every country with resources to be used for bartering with other countries. No one county has everything they need, each country is dependent upon other countries for some supply they are lacking in their country. The Lord did this, listen to how it is described in Ezekiel 27 “Syria sent merchants to buy your rich variety of goods. They traded turquoise, purple dyes, embroidery, fine linen, and jewelry of coral and rubies. Judah and Israel traded for your wares, offering wheat from Minnith, figs, honey, olive oil, and balm.

Damascus sent merchants to buy your rich variety of goods, bringing wine from Helbon and white wool from Zahar.” It was by design that God put in each nation a resource other nations would need.

Reading this passage today, the Lord said to me, “Just like in my body, not one person has all the gifts, but each has been given a gift to share with others in the body.” Immediately I knew the Lord was referencing 1 Corinthians 12, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. … It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” Just like each nation has its own resources, so we each have our own gifts. Nations and individuals are not to hoard their gift, for in doing so they will cut themselves off from the other resources they need. Nor are nations or people to think what they have been gifted or resourced with is better, more valuable or more necessary than another nation or person has been gifted with.

I am in awe of how God uses nations and individuals in the same way. We all have been resourced or gifted and now we are all called to give and receive what other nations and individuals have been given. God placed it all here for us to resource and gift each other, freely, peacefully, and with integrity. Everything we need is here, but we must loose it so others can benefit from it. Whether its nations or His body, the Lord is calling us to work together.