"And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen."
Genesis 22:13-14
Abraham must have wondered what God was doing in the midst of this trial of obedience to God's command. The story is quite fascinating. Abraham was clear when he confessed to Isaac that God would provide, but he still may have wondered... but by faith, he obeyed God despite his aching heart in this trial.
Have you ever heard someone testify of a time or many times when God provided for them in the midst of their trial? Maybe you read Abraham's story, even, and thought...
"[God's provision] would never happen for me..."
You know those amazing stories of Jehovah-Jireh providing for other Christian's needs? Yea, those...
Have you ever thought or said, "That would never happen to me..."?
Well, I did!
Recently, I was in a tight spot with car problems and finances. One of my tires had been losing pressure, getting punctured by nails every so often, and just being a trial for me.
Constantly, I would try to "fix it" on my own. Not realizing that God sent this unpleasant trial to grow my trust in Him.
Long story short, I came to a breaking point.
"God, nothing is working! You say you will provide for my needs if I pray to you about them, but nothing is working..."
That is where I was partially incorrect... Jehovah-Jireh did say He would meet my genuine needs, but He said He would meet them if I asked Him to...not just if I ranted to Him.
It is true that God does know our needs before we even ask Him, because He is omniscient and knows our heart (Romans 8:26-28). And it is true that He will sometimes even provide for our needs before we even think about asking Him (Philippians 4:19)!
However, God (just like a loving Father)— amongst other biblical reasons to be discussed— longs to hear from our own hearts and mouths... He desires we express our concerns to Him even when we don’t always know what to say.
The Bible says,
"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?"
Matthew 7:9-11
So, I was there in my car, on my way back to church, when I looked at the tire pressure light (forgive my ignorance), as it was on again three days later. Mind you, this has been happening for months. I was literally done. I was stuck between crying and blinking really fast so I did not crash (haha), when a song on Spotify came on through my phone.
Bow the Knee... If I'm being honest, I almost skipped it...then Someone called the Holy Spirit popped the bubble of pride. "Listen to it instead, and do it". No, I really don't want to...two songs later, guess what?
Bow the Knee by a different artist came on through Spotify. Coincidence? Some would say, but I knew that to be the Holy Spirit.
I finally did do just that...I finally prayed and asked Him...
"Lord, I am sorry for doubting you. I believe You when You say You will provide for my genuine needs...or, You will give me the grace and strength to be content in You when You do not meet those needs in my timing like Philippians 4:11-13 says. Right now, I am struggling to wholeheartedly believe that truth, although I do know it to be true according to the Bible. Please, increase my faith. You know my need for this tire to be repaired. God, will you please meet my need? Thank you. In Jesus' name, Amen..."
I honestly had no idea what would happen that same night.
To make another long story short, I had asked some people who had inquired about my needs where I could put air in my tire for free. I explained my situation, and they were quick to help. Not long after I had mentioned it did the pastor find out what my tire had been doing for some long months, that he said "If you take your car to so-and-so-member's car shop, let them know you need your tire fixed and I will cover it."
Coincidence? I think not. "That will never happen to me..." depends... are you asking God with mustard-seed-sized faith? He said He would provide. Is it clear He is not hearing you?
"Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear."
Isaiah 59:1-2
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
1 John 1:9
If you know you are right with the Lord, God may be testing you in this trial... your greatest need may be that of spiritual growth first. You may even relate to the verses in Philippians 4:11-13 which says, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content [because I have Christ]. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."
James 1:2-4
Yet, we often miss the need to grow spiritually in our trial...still, "If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny himself."(2 Timothy 2:13).
Psalm 37:25 is a truth you and I may need to remember: "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."
When I take the time to look intently at my life, I begin to see all my blessings. God has already given you and I many, many different provisions although we may choose to believe "this will never happen to me".
I am His child. You are His child. He will provide for you however He sees fit to.
Jehovah-Jireh's utmost concern is that of your spiritual needs, whether it is getting right or growing in righteousness; and He is clear in the Scriptures that He is also very much concerned for your physical needs.
Jehovah-Jireh is good.
If you have the Holy Spirit, you are able to learn to be content with Christ no matter what physical need is met or not met right away.
God already gave you and I eternal life, but He did not have to give us more than that! That gift of salvation was a miracle of provision in and of itself! He could have stopped there, and He would have been just and right in doing so.
We can truly say, "Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah [think on that a while]" (Psalm 68:19).
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things [needs] shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
Matthew 6:25-34
Jehovah-Jireh desires to bless you, but you must seek Him in your trial of need first and obey, trusting in His heart toward you.
I do not pretend to know why exactly God does not always provide right away, or why He works in another way when it comes to meeting our genuine needs. There are so many tangents, and every need is unique to one’s own situation. However, I am sure of this one thing...
Jehovah-Jireh will meet that spiritual need, physical need, or both! He sees and knows each one of His children.
Hagar even acknowledged God’s provision in Genesis 16:13 when she said, “...Thou God seest me...”
He sees and knows you! (Psalms 33:18, 34:15, and 139).
Jehovah-Jireh is His name.
I am sure of this...
God will always provide in the best way. ☺️
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