Our Provider

“So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” Genesis 22:14

My family loves hiking trips and when I was in college my parents bought a camper van. It was perfect for them, but the one glitch was that it only slept two people. So, when our family of four went camping, two people had to sleep in a tent. Common sense would say that my brother and I would take the tent. But after years of hearing about bear attacks, I was terrified. My father knew this, so whenever we were in bear territory he would take my place. For my dad, the swap resulted in a sore back and less shut eye. But for me, his sacrifice provided peace of mind and a good night’s sleep. We often encounter situations when one person’s sacrifice provides something for someone else. In his life, Abraham experienced God providing a substitute to save his son’s life. 

In Genesis 22, God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son. This is a huge deal. Isaac, is the son that Abraham and Sarah have waited for; the son God promised would make Abraham into a great nation. Yet now, God instructs him to be sacrificed. Instead of responding with anger, questions, or flat out refusing, Abraham willinging sets out the next morning to obey. Abraham obediently ties Isaac up and is ready to sacrifice him when God stops him. Instead of killing Isaac, God provides Abraham with a ram as a substitute sacrifice. In his gratitude, Abraham recognizes God’s provision calling the place “the LORD will provide”. In Hebrew this name is Jehovah Jireh. Jehovah references God’s holy power and Jireh declares that our Lord provides for us and sees to his promises. 

God had promised Abraham that he would become a great nation and He saw to that promise. The entirety of the Bible tells stories of God providing and keeping his promises, all the way through the life of Jesus. Through Jesus, God redeemed what was broken at the fall. He provided a way for us to know him and have a personal relationship with him. The ram was the substitute that provided life to Isaac and Jesus is our substitutionary sacrifice who gives us life.

Not only has God provided us life through Jesus, but he sees to our daily needs as well. Jesus wasn’t the kind of savior people expected, but he was God’s perfect plan to provide. In the same way, God’s provision may look different than we expect. He may not always answer the way we wish, but he will give us what we need to make it through. Sometimes that means providing peace in a hard situation. Other times it is an extra measure of strength or moments of joy when hope seems lost. In each instance, our God is Jehovah Jireh, our Lord who provides.

Reflect on God your provider today. How does knowing God provided Jesus to make a way for us, impact your life? What situation do you need to bring before the Lord, your provider? Who in your life needs to be reminded that God is their provider?  

Prayer

Lord, we thank you for being our Jehovah Jireh, our God who provides. What a comfort it is to know that you provide exactly what we need, when we need it. When we don’t understand, open our eyes to the ways you are providing for us each day. Thank you for sending your son to be our substitute and may we not take for granted the life he has provided us. It is in his name that we pray, Amen. 

Makalah Scholten
Spiritual Care Coordinator

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