“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide.” Genesis 22:1-19
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
The story in the Old Testament of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his God-given son is the cause of so much anxiety about God. These scriptures have led to many deep discussions into the night by my friends, all mothers. The horror of being asked by God to not only release a child to death but to also be the one responsible for that death seems unimaginable and cruel.
It’s important to notice that Abraham didn’t go gleefully to the hill where the sacrifice was to take place. In fact, you get the impression he was taking his time, slowly preparing the funeral pyre. What he did go with was the ultimate trust that God would provide. God had already provided for Abraham in many ways, not the least of which was resurrecting Sarah’s womb so they could have the very child he led up the mountain.
Commentators say, and I agree, that Abraham not only trusted that God would provide a substitute sacrifice but also that if one were not given, God would be able to resurrect Isaac. Somehow, he had already developed the deep insight into Jehovah jireh, the God Who Provides.
Complete Trust in the Provider
“Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storehouse or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!” Luke 12:24
When the bill arrives or the diagnosis comes, do we trust God’s provision as fully as Abraham did? Do we believe Jesus when He tells us how much more valuable than birds are we! Or do we scoff at His words when He commands us:
“Do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.” Luke 12:22
I think we get a bit confused by His promises for provision. While yes, God provided water from a rock. Or miracles of a place to stay, a check to cover rent right when needed, or even a baby when we have been deemed unable. Those are amazing experiences of His provision!
Day to day however, we should be so thankful for the more mundane. The physical ability to go to a job. The job itself. The education that got you that job. The paycheck from which you can buy food and pay the mortgage. The strength to wrangle your kids when you just don’t feel well. That solution suddenly revealed to a nagging problem.
The idea of seeing our lives as being provided for by God was foreign to my dad. He told me once, “I’ve done everything on my own, by myself.” One day I finally pointed him to the many miracles when God intervened during his 80 years. As I listed them all, my dad became quiet. He had never reviewed his life through the lens of God’s provision. He had never stopped to contemplate that someone “out there” was watching over his needs.
When we see the thousands of ways Jehovah jireh works in our daily lives we become people of thankfulness. I believe we also become people who, in the name of our LORD, become providers for others.
Our Good Shepherd
“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1
Friends, sheep don’t worry about what they are going to eat or where they are going to sleep. They don’t even seem to worry about any dangers on the perimeter of their wooly lives. They trust completely in their Shepherd. That is the picture Jesus paints for us throughout the Gospels.
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28
We are such independent people and being likened to sheep really rankles us. That’s because our sinful nature begs and brags about doing everything ourselves. This striving without ceasing brings us separation from the God who loves you so dearly that He wants you to come to Him for all your needs.
Whatever worry is on your heart and mind today, bring it to God. Bring it to the Father who is the giver of all good gifts. I hope you will also ask Him how you can be a blessing in return.
“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’” John 6:35
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