Jehovah Jireh

“Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, is in the heavens; Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the skies. Thy righteousness is like the mountains of God; Thy judgments are a great deep: O Jehovah, thou preservest man and beast.  How precious is thy lovingkindness, O God! And the children of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings.”  Psalm 36:5-7

    The world says be overwhelmed. The world says give up. The word says there is nothing that can save you. The world says one more drink, one more pill, one more excuse, and one more thrill. In the end, you feel all the more empty. You feel a void that nothing seems to fill. What does one do when the message is hopeless, the message is bleak, or when the repeating message is give up?

Flip the Script

    To respond in the right way, one needs to change the message to which they are listening. The world has offered trouble and terror. Those liars have offered poisonous error. Yet the God of the Universe, the Creator of the heavens and earth, cares for you, even you! David knew this so well as he penned the words of Psalm 36. He had seen how God had lifted him up from his lowly status as a shepherd boy. He had seen how God had delivered his life from the hands of a lion, a bear, and even the mighty King Saul. His only experience was that God provides! 

Our God Provides

    What is your experience with God? Have you missed a meal? Maybe you have but, have you starved to death? No, if you are reading this, you have not. Little things like this are overlooked when the struggle becomes so real in our lives. Our eyes become blind to how much God is already doing. That is who He is. Our God is a provider. 

    In the Old Testament, our father in the faith, Abraham, was commanded to offer his son of promise Isaac; at the last minute, he was stopped, and the Lord provided a ram in the thicket and Abraham named that spot Jehovah Jireh which means God provides (cf. Gen 22:10-14). This is the character of God. He provides all. He does so even when it seems like he will not. The Hebrew writer recounted this, “By faith, Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; even he to whom it was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God is able to raise up, even from the dead; from whence he did also in a figure receive him back” Hebrews 11:17-19. Abraham trusted God to provide even when it meant believing that He would do what had never been done before, raising a dead man to life. 

He Provides Only What He Can

    This is exactly how Jehovah provided when He sent His son to live, but ultimately to die for our sins, and yet be raised again. Who can provide like Jehovah? He provides lovingkindness, faithfulness, righteousness, justice, preservation, and refuge for those who will faithfully seek Him. Only He can provide what He can. As men, we need to stop looking throughout the world for something only God can give. Trust God and obey him. Take refuge in Him. For He is the God who provides. 

Grace and Peace, 

R.D. Beavers