Trust God to Provide
Key Verse to Read and Treasure
So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided”—Genesis 22:14 (ESV)
For Insight
Jehovah-Jireh or YHWH-Yireh is one of the many different names for God we read in the Old Testament. It means “The LORD will provide.” We might remember all too well the story of Abraham taking his son Isaac up to the mountain to sacrifice him to God. Isaac, an astute young man of thirteen was aware they had everything they needed to make their righteous sacrifice except the lamb needed for the burnt offering. He asked his father where the lamb was. Abraham responded confidently “the LORD himself will provide.” (Genesis 22:14)
Like you, I’m sure, my husband and I have been through some pretty lean times during our lifetime and in our married life. As we prepared for seminary resources were sparce sometimes we didn’t have two nickels between us. And it may surprise many, that throughout ministry there have been times we were not sure how we would eat, make our car go another mile, or pay our rent or mortgage. God has taught us what it means to depend upon him for everything and he has never failed to be faithful and provide for us.
Hardships can cause us to faint or at least be close to fainting. When times are tougher than usual and we are, as the apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4, “hard pressed on every side.” Even if we do not lose faith in God we can flirt with doubt and feel as though we will collapse under the pressures and strains just to hold things together until God shows up.
Thank God he does not hold this against us but knows we are frail humans, nothing but dust and not able to endure very much without being trained up to trust him. When our troubles are intensifying, and we can feel fear bubbling up into panic we can keep moving toward the mountain of the Lord in prayer and by immersing ourselves in his Word knowing he is faithful and is going to show up just in time.
Life Lesson
Hardships will test our faith, but God intends to teach us to stop watching for heaven’s storehouse to open and spiritually pacing the floor or becoming panicked. We are to learn that God is nothing except faithful and fulfills his promise to provide.
Prayer
Lord, we don’t purposely panic or doubt, but we plead to humanness and pray for your understanding and mercy. When hardship comes may we pause, breathe, and become filled with faith as strong as Abraham’s that on the mount of the LORD it will be provided. Amen
Digging Deeper
Devotionally Yours 