The LORD Will Provide

"So Abraham called the place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, 'On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided'" (Genesis 22:14).

What provision do you need right now? Is it more money? A job? Some peace? Motivation?

If so, read the ultra-amazing account of Abraham willingly offering his son, Isaac, to God, because God asked this of him in Genesis 22:1-19.

All across the Old Testament God reveals His names, which encompass His essence and character, to people. In this passage, God teaches an unforgettable lesson to two of the fathers of our faith—Abraham and Isaac. And the lesson is…

I am Jehovah Jireh. I am your Provider.

As we move into June, I’m turning my attention to dads. (Thank you, Ruth Rutherford-Pretty from Canada for flagging the care of men during COVID-19. I love your heart for men, which caused me to write this devotional.)

Did you know?

“Most Americans think men face a lot of pressure to provide financially for their family. About three-fourths of adults (76%) said in a 2017 survey that men face a lot of pressure to support their family financially, while 49% said men face a lot of pressure to be an involved parent. In contrast, 77% said women face a lot of pressure to be an involved parent, and 40% said women face a lot of pressure to support their family financially,” according to Pew Research.   

While times are certainly changing, for the better in some cases, research suggests, overall, that men still feel pressure to provide for their families, even while they are increasingly playing a more involved role in the home.  

These days, much of this image of God as Provider that He placed in men has been distorted. Deeply distorted.

Think about the men in your life, in particular, the fathers. Your father or your children’s daddy. Has he been pushed way beyond the point of ease, pushed beyond the point of normal pressure in providing for the family? 

Help that man remember: God will provide!

One way or another, God will provide what you need. It’s not just what God did, does, or will do. It’s who He is! Our Provider.

If you’re careworn and needing to see God’s provision today, here are some ways to face that concern:

• Like Abraham and Isaac, go to the mountain of the LORD through prayer. Meditate on Genesis 22:1-19. I promise you it’s worth your time.

• Thank God for being our ultimate Provider. Thank Him for your father and the father of your children. 

• Thank these men for how they provide for your family, even if that’s stretched in some cases. Ask God how to affirm that man today.

• Thank God for how He is already providing exactly what you need. (Though, maybe not what you’d want or prefer.) 

Like Abraham and Isaac, to reinforce God’s dependable character and sear a memory on our heart and mind, sometimes He’ll stretch us to the outer limits... then provide in the nick of time.

God will only act in love and Fatherly care. He’s a perfect Provider who knows precisely what you really, really need.

Much love and life to you today,
~Nancy