Getting To Know God – Jehovah Jirah – The Lord Who Provides Series

Getting to Know God – Jehovah Jirah – The Lord who provides

One of the incredible things about many missionary testimonies and books is the way that God incredibly provides in the nick of time and with such practical and incredible answers. I must admit that as I was sitting down this week to write this sermon, I was bemoaning the fact that God doesn’t ever seem to do that in my life. I am either not that spiritual or am not that faithful and I don’t see God answering my prayers. I spent an hour trying to figure out how I could even start writing the sermon.

But do you know what, God taught me a very clear lesson, showed me that he does still provide for his people in a miraculous way and proved it to me personally.

As I said, I had been sitting around for an hour, waiting for inspiration, flicking through books, looking for funny illustrations to catch your attention and generally not getting anywhere. I was getting desperate and thought to kill some time, I’d download some notes I had sent home from work and while doing that I checked my other emails. One of them was from Kylie Love. I don’t know how many of you remember Kylie. She was a teacher her up until last year when she went to England to do the work holiday thing and subsequently met the man of her dreams, got married and (no she hasn’t settled down), they are moving back out here at the end of the year.

Now earlier in the week, we’d received another email from Kylie – desperate and in despair, frustrated and upset. It seems as though despite checking 3 times previously that her visa was valid until the 2nd of Jan, the anniversary of her entering the country, she was being told that no, the validity dates were now on the 27th October (2 months earlier) when it was issued. This meant that poor Kylie would not be able to work for the last couple of months in the UK and would have to apply for a tourist visa. Where was God in all this? How was he going to provide? Kylie was begging everyone far and wide, religious and non-religious to pray and pray hard for God to work it all out

Well the second Email that I opened up yesterday was another from Kylie saying that God has answered her prayer and she now has a spouse visa that was issued on the spot. Kylie has been able to keep working and has proved that God does provide.

But that is not all, because, I too can say that God does provide because I had the most wonderful start to this sermon.

You see, when I stopped and started to think about it, I realised that the problem was not the lack of God’s provision, but the lack of my vision. I was blinded to the things God was doing in my life, the ways in which he reaches out and provides.

There was once an old man trapped on a roof top during flood conditions: A helicopter flew over and a crew member drops a ladder and yells - " grab the ladder."

“Thanks but no thanks” calls the old man. “My God will rescue me. God will provide."

The flood keep rising and before long a rescue team in their little yellow SES boat row up to the roof line and yells at the old man "Hop in. We`ll take you to safety."

The old man replies, "Thanks but no thanks ...my God will rescue me. God will provide. "

A little bit later a power boat cruises up to the roof top. A police officer yells at the old man, "Get in or else you’re going to drown."

The old man replies, "Thanks but no thanks ... my God will rescue me. God will provide. "

Just as the water is reaching the apex of the roof, a dog that looks like Lassie swims by with a life jacket. the old man just says, "My GOD will rescue me . He will provide." Just then the levy breaks and a wall of water sweeps across the old man`s roof and knocks him off his perch, and he drowns. Now since the man had previously received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord , after arriving in heaven he asks the Lord, " Why didn`t you provide for me? I had such great faith!"

The Lord replied," I sent you a helicopter, A row boat, a power boat and last but not least Lassie. I did provide for you."

I think that just like this old man, we just don’t recognise all the things that God provides for us. We are too blind to see how God provides for us in the day to day lives. He certainly does take care of us, but we don’t give him credit for the things he does for us.