“When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. At that moment, the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes,” Abraham replied. “Here I am!” “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” 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. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”).” (Genesis 22:9-14a NLT)
Yesterday, anyone who went to church, face-to-face or virtually, heard how the Lord showed us, by His ultimate example that He will provide. We heard about the Lamb of God who took our place as a sacrifice for all our sins on Calvary’s cross. Let us not forget that the Lamb was slain, but also don’t forget that He was raised from the dead. In the ultimate sense the Lord provided a way for all who believe to reconcile with Him and have peace. And more than that, we were provided with the promise of the most ultimate gift: everlasting, eternal life in a place where joys will never cease. The Lord will provide.
We read Abraham’s story, and I’m sure you have your personal story that gives evidence of the fact that the Lord will provide. In fact, you have plenty, a plethora of stories where the Lord showed He will provide. Pause and think about those stories, true testimonies from your life. Think about how He gave you peace in the midst of your storm. Think about how He really did give you joy in the morning or peace beyond comprehension. Think about your stories! Remember when you had lost momentum on your spiritual journey, but you found out the Lord will provide as He reenergized you spiritually and renewed your energy to press on. Recall how you were in one of those periods where the pressure was on to provide what we call the basics for your family. Revisit when the Lord stepped right in on time, true to His word, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.” “All these things” refers to those basic needs: food, clothing, and shelter. The Lord will provide. Think about how the trendy lifestyle could not help you, the therapist could not cure you, no treatment could fix you, and the trip you took to getaway did not turn things around. Serenity was nowhere to be found. Solutions to your dilemma, not even one, could be found. But as you revisit that time, rejoice because back then, you decided to turn to the Lord; you gave Jehovah-Jireh a chance. You learned that “the Lord will provide” is not a one-time thing. No, you know “the Lord will provide…still!” Just keep acting faithfully! Keep walking by faith and not by sight! Keep trusting that in His time, the Lord will provide just what you need.
I know you are saying, “What? No story?” I got you! Sunday morning, in the delivery of the sermon I mentioned that I did not want to keep the church folks too long because I knew they had to get their “Easter Ham.” I also told the members that I did not have a ham, but I was not going to worry about it because I was sure that I would get some ham somewhere. After service, my household went to eat a breakfast brunch meal, no ham. Not having time to go to the store on the weekend, we agreed that Sunday evening we would make do with whatever we could find in the refrigerator. It was getting close to dinner time. No ham was in our plans. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, one of my members texted me and informs me that they had ham and some leftovers, along with some pound cake. I texted back quickly before the phone ran out of its charge and asked, smiling all the time, where I should go to pick up the ham. She said, “We will bring it,” referring to herself and another close sister who belongs to the church. Thirty minutes later, they text me that they will come by and drop off the ham and some pound cake. The ham was made by her son who possesses chef-like culinary skills, perhaps he learned cooking from his mother who made the best pound cake ever yesterday. Oh even in regard to my ham craving, the Lord did provide. And I can say that because it shows these two sisters were listening to every word that was preached, including my humorous remark about ham. May God bless them for their kindness.
Now my story may have been a very minor example to satisfy you entertainment need, but really, remember there is a very major edification supplied today: The Lord will provide…still! Yes! He will! Have a great Monday, a better Monday perhaps! Be blessed!
“Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33 NLT)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King