God has promised to supply all our needs. What we don't have now, we don't need now .
Elisabeth Elliot
We can be certain that God will give us the strength and resources we need to live through any situation in life that he ordains. The will of God will never take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us.
Billy Graham
A God wise enough to create me and the world I live in is wise enough to watch out for me.
Philip Yancey
There are many who know God as a healer, a deliverer, a saviour, but not many truly know Him as a provider. They can believe God for their healing but it seems difficult for them to think that God can provide their daily needs. Yesterday, we were introduced to the name, Rohi, the Lord as Shepherd. One attribute of shepherds linked to today's subject is their ability to provide the needs of their flock. So today, we will delve into to a closely related name that many of us are familiar with: Jehovah Jireh.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines provision as the act or process of providing, the fact or state of being prepared beforehand , a measure taken beforehand to deal with a need or contingency. This word provision is derived from the Latin word, providre, which literally means to see ahead. It's not surprising then that in Abraham's encounter where the revelation of Jireh is first mentioned, we see God do exactly that.
1 Sometime later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” 2 “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” 3 The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.”
6 So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together, 7 Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?”
Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” 8 “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together . Genesis 22:1-8 NLT
Prior to this event, God had already been a providing good gifts. He had placed Adam in a garden furnished richly with everything He could need. But this encounter uniquely revealed His nature as a provider. Imagine the flood of what ifs that must have run through Abraham's head as they climbed Moriah. The image of the explanation he must give Sarah if their only son was not raised back to life. Imagine what Isaac would think of a father who sacrifices him in the name of God. Only faith could enable Abraham to set off and continue on this journey to fulfill this absurd request. But as Apostle George Muller once said ''Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man's power ends''.
9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood. 10 And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.
12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.
Genesis 22:9-14, NLT
Do you see the divine orchestration behind this provision? Rams don’t just skip around in such secluded places. It must be that while Abraham was climbing up with Isaac, God was moving this ram from the other side of the mount. He had prepared a thicket that will secure it in place. More importantly, he prevented Abraham from seeing this alternative until he had first taken the first step of obedience. Then, he uncovered what he had reserved through His foresight for this sacrifice. How amazing! Moreover, God didn’t only release Isaac back to his father. He established the generational covenant of blessing on account of Abraham’s trust and obedience.
Beloved, it may often seem foolish to surrender certain things God may require of us but I have come to see His surpassing wisdom when we obey. Years ago, as I was preparing for my wedding, one of the most important events in my life, I was sitting in church when I heard the Lord say “Paint the church.” I was like what? Do what? The size of the church was no joke. Those are the moments you pretend not to have heard what the Lord said. Considering the expenses ahead and my meager savings left after my publishing projects, I reasoned God had spotted the wrong person for this assignment. However, I eventually obeyed – of course not sharing all details with my beloved (who would have strangled me to hear how much I was giving away when we hadn’t reached our budget). Long story short, God made amazing provisions for our wedding to the extent that we earned enough to invest in other interests.
Provision in a shepherd-sheep relationship works best when the sheep allow the shepherd to lead them to his reserved resources. A shepherd knows where to find good food, water and resting places for the sheep. Before they set out to graze, he is aware of the provisions available on the journey for them. This is exactly what your good Father, the Good Shepherd, does. He sees your needs beforehand and arranges them ahead of time.
I have learnt over the years that God’s provision is tied to an assignment, a specific place and our obedience. In 1 Kings 17, we observe two unique accounts of divine provision for the prophet Elijah. “Then the Lord said to Elijah, 3 “Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. 4 Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.” 5 So Elijah did as the Lord told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan.
6 The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook. 7 But after a while the brook dried up, for there was no rainfall anywhere in the land’’(1 Kings 17:2-7, NLT).
The prophet had to act in obedience to God’s directive and be located in a specific place within a certain period to receive God’s provision. The fact that God used ravens to supply the needs of Elijah reveals that divine provision may come from the most unlikely channels. Watching the most selfish of birds bring him food daily must have greatly boosted his faith. Provided we don’t limit God in what He can do, we will see the hand of God in our life if we are at the right place, at the right time. As we would see in the second instance, God moved the prophet elsewhere after the brook dried up.
8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 “Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, “Bring me a bite of bread, too.” 12 But she said, “I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.
13 But Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what’s left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!” 15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. 16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah .
1 Kings 17:8-15, NLT
One would have expected that the prophet would meet the woman with a ready meal and a broad smile saying, ‘Here is your food.’ Didn’t God say “I have instructed a widow there to feed you”? Instead, there was a whole dialogue requiring both prophet and widow to engage their faith in this miraculous process of provision. Perhaps, the widow had received this prompting but her circumstances made it inplausible. Thankfully, in the end, they both experienced God’s love. When we obey God’s leading to be a channel of blessing to others, we reveal His love to the recipients of His provision. In return, our faith is strengthened and greater avenues of provision open to us.
In a season of famine when everyone was preserving what little they had, it was a great risk to sacrifice and share her last supply. But because of her faith and obedience, this widow of Zarephath encountered a divine visitation. She must have been deeply touched that she, a Gentile, would be visited by the God of Israel and lavished on this way. Here too, we establish that God’s provision is tied to a specific place and our ability to obey. Given the current economic situation and climate, can you relate to these two accounts? Are you where God wants you to be? Then He must have already provided ahead of you.
I shared this story in a previous bulletin but I will recount it because of its significance to me and its relevance to this topic. Once, a prayer partner called that he will visit me at home and would want some biscuits and a malt drink. For someone working at a mine site then, telling him that I couldn’t provide these would not only have been embarrassing but it could be mistaken as stinginess. But in that period, I didn’t even have money to buy food because I had used all I had to print books. As the day drew closer, I felt some pressure to find other options but I had made a covenant with God that I will not borrow money. I’ve always wanted to experience God as my provider so I decided to wait for His provision.
That fateful morning, I was up early pacing my bedroom in prayer, in need of a breakthrough to save me from shame. Suddenly, I heard my phone beep – there was a mobile money alert from someone I hadn’t spoken to for over six months. So, I wondered if the person has sent it mistakenly and called to verify. The sender’s passport processing request had failed and when the fee was returned, God asked her to send it to me. Amazing! That was God’s timely provision. This incident taught me that God knows my needs before I ask, even the seemingly unimportant ones like malt and biscuits for adult men. He went ahead of me speaking in time to the right people on my behalf.
So do not be like them [praying as they do]; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Matthew 6:8, AMP
It has always been my dream to play the piano, a desire that I know will come to pass. About 15 years ago when I started exploring this interest, I got very good teachers but I couldn’t progress because I didn’t have a keyboard to practice at home. Then, during in my 3 rd year in KNUST, I strove and saved to buy a keyboard. I was elated that I could finally learn this thing and started practicing. I was then the president of the Assemblies of God Campus Ministry and during a fundraising, the minister mentioned a huge amount for a start. As a leader, I didn’t just want to point my people in a direction that I wouldn’t go. As I made my mind on the amount, I heard the Lord say, ‘Give me your keyboard’ and I retorted ‘The devil is a liar. I will not give my keyboard.’ I stood there battling with this impression and rather went forward to pledge the amount the man of God asked for.
In my mind, that voice couldn’t be God’s if He knew how I struggled to buy this keyboard. Moreover, I wanted to play for Him so how could He require of me something I had looked forward to for so long. I ignored this impression. When I returned to my hostel, it was as if every desire and love for the keyboard just evaporated. I never touched the keyboard again till I unwillingly took it and gave it to the church. Today, I have two keyboards and a wife who plays. What’s the point? God’s provision is often triggered by what He directs you to release to Him. But rest assured that you can never outdo God in giving.
When Abraham obeyed God by attempting to sacrifice his son of promise, heaven responded accordingly. The salvation of mankind hanged on the sacrifice of the only begotten Son of God, Christ Jesus, on the cross of calvary. If Abraham could dare to give God his son, God was more than able to exceed this act by giving Abraham’s descendants and all mankind Jesus. “For God has proved his love by giving us his greatest treasure, the gift of his Son. And since God freely offered him up as the sacrifice for us all, he certainly won’t withhold from us anything else he has to give
Romans 8:32, TPT.
In closing, let’s see another insight Jesus gives us in John 6:5-6 to underscore His foresight as Our Provider. ‘’As Jesus sat down, he looked out and saw the massive crowd of people scrambling up the hill, for they wanted to be near him. So he turned to Philip and said, “Where will we buy enough food to feed all these people?” Now Jesus already knew what he was about to do, but he said this to stretch Philip’s faith’’ [TPT]. Beloved, you serve a God who sees your needs ahead of time and makes provision. As you trust His leadings in this season, prepare to experience the mind-blowing goodness of your Father.
Meditate on the Scriptures below and make the insights you draw your own from today:
1 “Every commandment that I am commanding you today you shall be careful to do, so that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore [to give] to your fathers. 2 And you shall remember [always] all the ways which the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart (mind), whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 He humbled you and allowed you to be hungry and fed you with manna, [a substance] which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, so that He might make you understand [by personal experience] that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord. 4 Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your feet swell these forty years. 5 Therefore, know in your heart (be fully cognizant) that the Lord your God disciplines and instructs you just as a man disciplines and instructs his son.
Deuteronomy 8:1-5, AMP
5 I have led you in the wilderness forty years; your clothes have not worn out on you, and your sandals have not worn out on your feet. 6 You have not eaten bread, nor have you drunk wine or strong drink, so that you might know that I am the Lord your God [on whom you must depend].
Deuteronomy 29:5-6, AMP