The Lord Who Provides, Genesis 22:13 | Debbie Taylor Williams

“I need this. I need that.” Sometimes our human nature screams for what we want. We want a heavenly genie to grant our desires. We may be frustrated because God isn’t dropping from heaven what we envision to be a perfect life.

What do we do when Jehovah Jireh, “The LORD will Provide,” doesn’t appear to provide exactly as we want? First, it’s important that we understand the context of Genesis 22:13 when God’s name, “The LORD Will Provide,” is introduced. The scene was when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as a test of his obedience. Abraham walked in faith, assuring Isaac that God would provide a sacrifice. The Hebrew name “Jehovah Jireh” means “the LORD will see to it.” In other words, Abraham believed that God would provide a substitute sacrifice in place of Isaac. It foreshadowed God seeing to our salvation by providing Jesus as a sacrifice for us.

But it’s important to realize that God has seen to even more. He has provided us with abundant life by giving the Holy Spirit as a substitute for our fallen spirit. God has seen to our daily questions about how to do life by providing Biblical instruction as a substitute to cultural trends on marriage, sex, money, parenting, envy, anger, and more. Yes, God has seen to our eternal and daily needs by providing Jesus, the Bible, and Holy Spirit. The question isn’t if there is a heavenly God who hears and answers our prayers. Rather, it is whether we are walking in faith according to God’s instructions, as Abraham did. If not, begin today.

Heavenly Father, we praise You, Jehovah Jireh, the LORD WHO PROVIDES. Help us not foolishly ignore the Spirit’s presence and Biblical truth but rather walk by both.

Want to learn more about God’s provision? Read this related blog post.