The Mountain Standing Before You

-

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, that He 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 (), 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 ().
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 (). 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 (). 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 (), when at the last moment God showed up and saved the day (). Then we read in 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. ). 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!

Popular posts from this blog

What is godless chatter?

-
Image
What is godless chatter? The term godless chatter is used by the apostle Paul when he exhorts Timothy to, “Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some” (2 Timothy 2:16-18, NIV). In context, this passage of Scripture is dealing with the godless chatter of false teachers who were sneaking into the church and trying to corrupt the truth of God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:14-3:9). Paul clearly warns Timothy about them when he points them out by saying, “Their teaching will spread like gangrene” (2:17). Paul likens the godless chatter of false teachers to gangrene, which was a deadly disease that spread rapidly and ate away at a persons flesh. This Greek idiom truly emphasizes the repulsiveness of the ministry of the false
Read more

Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known

-
Image
Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known The primary vision behind the Christian faith can be simplified down to the following statement; "to KNOW Jesus and to make Jesus KNOWN."  Knowing Jesus and Making Jesus Known, that’s really what our Christian faith is all about.  The verse that has inspired the first part of this this saying “ to KNOW JESUS and to make Him Known”, is found in Philippians 3:10, which illustrates the apostle Paul’s heart for wanting to know Jesus more and more through pressing on daily in his relationship with Him. Paul tells us in Philippians 3:10, “that I may KNOW Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.”  This was Paul’s greatest desire in life, to become more like Jesus... by being conformed into His image, and the only way that this could take place was if he continued growing in his relationship with Jesus. In fact, Paul would continue on in Philippians 3, by saying, “N
Read more

Sermon Outline: 1 John 3:18-24

-
Image
1 John 3:18-24 Conquering Condemnation Pastor Jason Stewart I.       Introduction:    A little boy visiting his grandparents was given his first slingshot. He practiced in the woods, but he could never hit his target. As he came back to Grandma's back yard, he noticed her pet duck, and like a sniper quietly approached the duck, not really believing he would hit the duck of course, as he hadn’t hit anything he was aiming at all day. However, as this young sniper approached this poor unsuspecting duck, he took aim and let his rock fly. Wouldn’t you know it, the rock ended up hitting the duck right on the head, and as the duck fell dead, the little sniper panicked. He then desperately began trying to hide the dead duck before Grandma found out, and so he buried it in a nearby woodpile, only to look up and see his sister watching. Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing. After lunch that day, Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes." But Sally said, "Johnny t
Read more