The Lord Will Provide
What
Mountain is standing before you today? Is it a mountain of doubt, or is it a
mountain that is increasing your faith. Are you having difficulty trusting that
God will come through in a certain area of your life today? Are you struggling
to believe that God has heard your prayers, and that God knows the desires of
your heart, and that God is able to provide for you? Do you feel as if there
are insurmountable obstacles that stand before you and the promises that you
believe God has spoken into your life?
I
can imagine that the day God tapped on Abraham’s shoulder and told him to take
a walk with his son Isaac to Mount Moriah, and then gave him the purpose for
their journey (Genesis 22:1-2), that Abraham must have been rocked to the core
of his being as he processed through what God had asked of him. The Bible
doesn’t reveal to us what was going on in this loving father’s heart as he was
travelling with the son in whom he treasured so much. However, I can imagine
that there was a terribly fierce war going on within his heart and mind as they
made the 3-day trek to Moriah (Genesis 22:3-4).
We
know that by the time Abraham and Isaac made it to Mount Moriah, that Abraham
had settled it in his heart that God was going to somehow spare Isaacs life,
and provide a sacrifice for Himself some other way, due to the fact that he
told his servants that he and Isaac would return down from the mountain
together (Genesis 22:5). The Bible informs us that Abraham’s faith was so big,
that he actually believed that even if Isaac was sacrificed that day, God would
have simply raised him up from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). What incredible faith!
Once
Abraham took Isaac up to the top of the mountain, this mountain of death, he
began preparing to offer Isaac as a burnt offering to the Lord (Genesis
22:6-10), when at the last moment God showed up and saved the day (Genesis
22:11-13). Then we read in Genesis 22:14 that, "Abraham called the
name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, 'in the
mount of the LORD it shall be provided.'"
In
Hebrew, The-LORD-Will-Provide is Jehovah-Jireh. Jehovah-Jireh is not simply an
additional name that God is known by, but more importantly, it is a definition
of who God is, and what God's nature is like. Meaning, Jehovah-Jireh is not
what we call God, but instead it’s how we describe God. The LORD will provide!
In
fact, this is a scriptural promise and unchanging truth about God, to all
who trust in Him (cf. Philippians 4:19). It is in God's VERY NATURE
AND CHARACTER TO PROVIDE!
Abraham
went up to that mountain of testing, knowing that even with his most treasured
possession on earth, his son Isaac, that God would still provide. That mountain
was not only a mountain of testing it was a mountain of death. To the
unbelieving heart, it was a mountain that represented the death of Abraham's
dreams, the death of God's promises, and the death of God's future work through
the children of Israel. And yet, rather than give in to the doubt and despair
that this event would surely bring upon any person faced with Abraham's
situation, Abraham said to that mountain, "MOVE!" And it moved! The
reason it moved is because Abraham had faith in Jehovah-Jireh, that the
LORD-Will-Provide! It's who God is! It is what God does! He Provides!
In
fact, Abraham even renamed that Mountain from Moriah, to Jehovah-Jireh! Oh,
that we would have faith like Abraham at Mount Moriah, to name every obstacle
that is placed before us in life, “Jehovah-Jireh”, The-LORD-Will-Provide.
What
a wonderful example Abraham sets for us as a man who trusted in God to provide,
even with his most treasured possession at stake. I am not sure what your
mountain of testing looks like right now. Whether it is a financial
obstacle, a physical obstacle, a spiritual obstacle, a relational obstacle, or
something else that feels as if it is simply impossible to overcome. Whatever
it is you might be facing today, I am persuaded that God is still on the
throne and is ever willing to help you overcome that impossible mountain that
has you believing your hopes and your dreams are dead, and that your situation
is too difficult for you to handle.
It is my
prayer that you will be fully persuaded to trust that the Lord is still
Jehovah-Jireh, the Great Provider! Again, it is who He is, and it is what He
does. He will Provide.