YOUR PROVIDER WILL PROVIDE!
SCRIPTURE VERSE:
Genesis 22:14 Abraham called that place (Jehovah-Jireh) The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.’
INTRODUCTION:
– The story that leads up to this verse is a story of unbelievable courage and faith.
– Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son (Isaac) on an altar at Mt Moriah.
– This was the same son that was promised many years before and he was a miracle child, born very late in life, long after child-bearing age.
– This child was the hope of the fulfilment of all that God had promised Abraham.
– He was an answer to many years of praying and trusting.
– He was the provision they had waited for and now he had to be surrendered.
– I have often wondered how Abraham could actually do what God was asking of him?
– I believe that Abraham had learnt one very important lesson, over time, about the character of God.
– He had learnt that when all is said and done, God would provide and he lived by this principle.
– Perhaps we need to learn the same thing, that no matter how dark and hopeless things may be, God is our Provider and the deliverance and provision that He brings will always arrive, even if it is at the very last moment, or what we would think of as ‘late’.
1. IT’S PART OF GOD’S CHARACTER TO PROVIDE.
– Being a provider is part of the very character and nature of God.
– The Bible is full of stories about how He provided against all odds.
– The Bible provides us with evidence of God’s nature as a provider.
– In the beginning He provided the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve.
– When the people of God were caught between a rock and a hard place, between the approaching Egyptians and the sea, He provided a way of escape by opening up a way through the sea.
– While the Israelites were wandering around the wilderness, He was providing for them day and night.
– When the disciples had fished all night and caught nothing, He intervened and provided a catch that was more than they could cope with.
– When we were lost in our sin, He sent (provided) His Son to die for us so that we could know the forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life.
– You and I need to learn to trust in His character and have confidence in His very nature – a provider.
2. HE IS YOUR PROVIDER WHEN THERE’S NO HOPE.
– When all hope is gone and you have reached your lowest point, He is still with you, and right there, His hand of provision can still be expected and anticipated.
– Psalm 103:2-5 ‘Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits; Who pardons all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases; Who redeems your life from the pit, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and compassion; Who satisfies your years with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle.’
– When we find ourselves overwhelmed by things we know we should not have done and the regrets, He is ready to come and provide forgiveness.
– When we find ourselves at the mercy of sickness and disease, He comes to provide healing.
– When we find ourselves in a hole, in a pit, from which it appears we will never escape, He comes to provide a rescue and a deliverance
– When we find our lives empty and devoid of hope, He comes to provide the ‘good things’ that He knows we need.
– When we come to the end of ourselves and we feel weak and helpless, He comes to provide us with His strength so that our strength can be renewed.
– When it feels like the enemy is sure to have victory over us, He comes to lift us up and give us the victory.
– Perhaps it appears as if your adversaries have the upper hand? It is exactly at times like these that you can anticipate that His provision can be revealed, even from the most unlikely sources.
3. HE IS YOUR PROVIDER WHEN YOUR STRENGTH IS GONE.
– Sometimes in life we experience ongoing, long-term battles.
– The nation of Israel had experienced this. The enemy, the Philistines, had been threatening and warring against them. They had a powerful weapon, a giant called Goliath. Every morning and every evening he would come out and shout and threaten them with defeat. This ongoing battle had left them weak and vulnerable, and they had run out of strategy, ideas and morale. Their strength and determination was exhausted. Into this situation God provides a young boy. This young boy had been overlooked and underrated as an individual. But the hand of God rested on this boy named David. He was in the process of delivering food to his brothers fighting in the battle. David saw things from a different perspective and with his sling and 5 smooth stones, He ended the conflict once and for all and killed the giant.
– Perhaps you have been facing a long-term, ongoing battle that has lasted a long time. Perhaps you have tried everything in your power to overcome or see a change in the situation and nothing has changed. Perhaps you find yourself weak, worn out and exhausted and maybe you have given up trying as a result.
– When you find yourself at this place of powerlessness, He is still your provider.
– He can still step in and turn things around.
4. HE IS YOUR PROVIDER WHEN THERE IS NOTHING MORE YOU CAN DO.
– In the New Testament is a story about Peter the Apostle. He is in jail, chained and being guarded by many guards. The authorities have the intention of executing him the next day. There is nothing more he can do.
– Acts 12:6 – 10 The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, ”Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, ”Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. ”Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realise it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.
– Peter was at a place where there was nothing more he could do. He was chained up with two chains, he was guarded by many guards, he was imprisoned and earmarked for death. It would soon be over and there was nothing more to be done except sleep.
– At this point of seemingly no return, God steps in and provides a remarkable and miraculous way out of the situation. Peter could never have envisioned this. In fact, while it was happening, he thought it was a vision – that is how unimaginable it was.
– Firstly there was a bright light, then an angel, then chains fell off his wrists and then he walked past all the guards and through a locked iron gate that opened up for him all by itself, and they walk away, free and unopposed.
– The Lord was Peter’s provider when there was nothing more that he could do.
– In the same way the Lord wants to be your provider when there is nothing more you can do.
– When you feel like you have reached the end of the road and there is nothing more you can do, you can still know and believe that He is your provider and He can make a way where there seems to be no way.
5. AT THE HEIGHT OF TRIAL AND SACRIFICE, YOU WILL DISCOVER THAT HE IS YOUR PROVIDER.
– Abraham had to see the process through.
– He had to take his son Isaac up Mount Moriah and build an altar and load the wood, tie up his son, place him on the altar, get out the knife and ready himself to sacrifice his son.
– This was the lowest and worst possible moment in all his life. Perhaps nothing made sense, and everything seemed hopeless and fruitless, up on this mountain alone.
– Sometimes we have to climb our own mountain, deal with our own issues and struggles and there alone with the hardest of challenges we have to come to peace with what God has told us to do and take that radical action that is required of us.
– Genesis 22:14 ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.’
– It is in these deepest and darkest moments that we will discover the Provider and the provision.
– Only the Lord understands the depths of the trials you have faced and only He knows the sacrifices you have made and in all of it He loves and cares for you and wants to make a way for you.
– Even here, even now, the Lord will provide for you.
– Genesis 22:13 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.
– Trust Him and keep your eyes peeled, His escape route and His provision is not far away.
– Genesis 22:14 Abraham called that place (Jehovah-Jireh) The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.’
Conclusion:
Always remember that the Lord is your Jehovah-Jireh – your provider. His faithfulness in providing can be seen throughout the Bible and in our lives today. You may be facing insurmountable challenges or the darkest time of your life, but He remains faithful and provides. You may be facing imminent obstacles, and even in that you can expect the faithfulness of His presence and provision. You may be climbing the mountain of trial and sacrifice and you feel all alone – He is with you and His provision of deliverance is not far away. See HIM, in all His glory as your provider. Trust in His character and timing. Have faith and confidence that He will be with you on your mountain and believe that He will sustain you through your trials and challenges. Realise that He will walk with you, He will never fail you. He will make a way of escaping and He will provide for you.
Philippians 4:19 ‘And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’
By Andrew W Roebert
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