GOD Will Provide

Gen.22:8, ‘And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.’

 God has always been faithful in providing for all our needs according to the riches of His glory. In the beginning, the Lord created the world with all the mountains, seas, plants and animals. He then created man in His image. Before He created man, He made all things that a man would ever need to live this life on earth. Such considerate is our Father in heaven. He provided the whole nation of Israel with manna for forty long years without fail, even though the Israelites grieved Him time and again. We see Him as Jehovah Jireh, who provides amazingly in the most challenging times of His children’s life. His compassion feeds us. Its His will that none of His children should lack anything good. Ps.34:10, ‘The young lions lack and suffer hunger; But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.’ But to access this provision we need to trust Him with all our heart. Let us focus on three criteria which the Lord considers while releasing His stores for His children.

1 Kings 17:2-4, ‘ Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ³ “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. ⁴ And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.” Here we see  prophet Elijah pronouncing a famine in Israel. He did this without considering his own sustenance. He just obeyed the Lord spontaneously. But though he did not consider about his own existence, the Lord whom he served so faithfully did not forget him. As soon as the famine was declared, the Lord revealed the provisions which He had kept in store for His faithful servant. He asked Elijah  to drink from the Cherith brook and commanded the ravens to feed him. The Lord faithfully provides for His faithful servants, who serve the Lord with selfless heart, for such service shows the unconditional love for the Lord.

1 Kings 17:15-16, ‘So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many days. ¹⁶ The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the Lord which He spoke by Elijah.’  The provision by the brook Cherith and the ravens stopped. But the Lord continued to provide for Elijah. He next commanded a widow to feed him. In the process, the Lord intended to provide for this widow who was ready to die with her son due to famine. Though she was hesitant to give to Elijah first, but then she faithfully obeyed the Lord’s servant and provided for him the seemingly only meal she had kept for herself and her son. Here she was considered as a faithful giver, who gave in her tough times of life. Hence, the Lord commanded the bin and jar to provide for her, her son and the prophet till the famine was over. It is easy to give when we have enough to give. But we are considered as faithful givers when we give unto the Lord on priority basis even at the tough times of life. The Lord faithfully provides for those who give faithfully unto the Lord’s work.

 Gen.22:8, ‘And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.’ Abraham, friend of God had a close walk with God. He always obeyed God. And obeying became tougher when he was asked to offer his only son, Isaac. But even then, he did not hesitate for he believed God. He believed in all His promises. Hence, as he and Isaac went up to the mount of Moriah for the sacrifice, Abraham confidently answered his son regarding the animal to be sacrificed. He said that the Lord Himself would provide the lamb for a burnt offering. At the right time, the Lord stopped Abraham from sacrificing hi son, and instead provided him with the animal to be sacrificed. Obedience causes our inner eyes to see the unrevealed provisions. In Gen.22:5, Abraham told the young men with him to wait there and that Isaac and he would worship and return together. He had trusted in God so much so that he believed that God would raise him up from death even if he was sacrificed. He knew God well. He knew that God would never lie. Trusting God is trusting His character. Abraham proved his trust in God by obeying Him even in this toughest commandment. Here we see God providing for those who are faithful in obeying the Lord.

 God provides faithfully to those who serve Him faithfully, to those who give unto the Lord faithfully and to those who obey Him faithfully. Faithfulness refers to steadfastness irrespective of situations. Our Lord seeks faithfulness in all we do. Today, when the world has been hit by a severe famine, let us not be anxious about tomorrow. If we focus on being faithful to our Lord, we will never lack any good thing. Faithfulness towards God has greater access to God’s unfailing and divine provisions than the best resume of this world.

God bless us all

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