“They arrived at the place to which God had directed him. Abraham built an altar. He laid out the wood. Then he tied up Isaac and laid him on the wood. Abraham reached out and took the knife to kill his son. Just then an angel of God called to him out of Heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes, I’m listening.” “Don’t lay a hand on that boy! Don’t touch him! Now I know how fearlessly you fear God; you didn’t hesitate to place your son, your dear son, on the altar for me.” Abraham looked up. He saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. Abraham named that place God-Yireh (God-Sees-to-It). That’s where we get the saying, “On the mountain of God, he sees to it.” (Genesis 22:9-14 The Message Bible)
As a family, when I was an adolescent, we went through a period of hard times. But we did with what we had. Example: We used baking soda for multiple ways. There were things we could not afford during these hard times period. So, we used bacon soda as a substitute. The way I saw things then was through a different prism than I do now. Back then I looked through a prism labeled “poverty.” Some of you older readers can relate to exactly what I am going to share. Some of you younger readers, well, you have your own stories to tell. It’s all about perspective, but most of us can identify with times of paucity, another word for poverty or a period of scarcity. But let me tell you what went through my mind as a young teen.
Baking soda was used to brush our teeth. Again, I saw it as poverty. Baking soda was used as deodorant. I saw that as poverty too! That was my prism. What did we use for furniture polish, stomachache medicine, tennis shoe cleanser, and an aid to remove splinters out of the hand? Yes, you guessed it! Baking soda! And, once again, being repetitious, I saw all that resourcefulness through the prism of poverty. Then, that was the reality.
Now, looking back, I don’t see poverty, but I see provision, the true reality. I don’t see all that jive that we poor people had to go through, I see Jehovah-Jireh, the One we ought to be looking to, no matter what we are going through. I had a prism change. Now I see things not as an indicator of poverty, but a sign of provided, divine blessing. I had a prism change. “I once was blind, but now I see.” I was able to see, no longer blind to what was really going on. God was showing us, “God sees to it.” This prism change enabled me to see how the Lord was taking me through an experience to teach me something extraordinary. He was adding to the reservoir of memories in my mind so that I would recognize that I was not forgotten, but that He, the Lord, was bringing me through and preparing me, molding me and shaping me so that I would have a greater faith in Him and be assured that He will take care of His people. God sees to it!
Thank God! Praise God! If He has done anything similar for you, and you have your own story, shout “Thank you Lord,” right now! As I have instructed you before, if you are at work, quietly go to the restroom and get your praise on, or as you walk down the empty hallway, give God the glory, or raise your hand at your desk, and just smile in silence, motivated by your new prism: God will provide! Give Him the praise! One more thing! Help someone who is going through something, going through their own unique hard time. Tell them to change their prism! Tell them to have faith in God! Tell them that Jehovah-Jireh, God, is just seeing to it!
Assure them that God will provide! Do you need some New Testament “ammunition?” Look below! Be blessed!
“If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” (Matthew 6:30-33 The Message Bible)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King