The Lord our Provider
(Jehovah-Jireh)
Read Genesis 22:1-14
Isn’t this story amazing?! The Lord will always provide for us. He looks after the plants and animals so why wouldn’t He look after us?
Matt 6:25-34; Matt 7:7-11
Both of the above scriptures hold wonderful promises of God. The Lord will always provide for you. I don’t think there’s anyone in the world who wouldn’t like promises like these. The problem with most people is that they read these scriptures and believe that they’re great promises but then they leave them only as that… great promises.
Only once you take hold of those promises and start walking them out in your own life can they actually come into affect. The Bible is full of God’s promises but it’s never enough just to know about something.
I’ll give you a perfect example:
Someone who only knows the theory about how to drive is not considered a driver. It’s only once they get into a car and put all that theory into practice that they can be considered a driver.
It’s exactly the same with Christians. We need to apply God’s Word to our lives. (James 1:19-25)
With this in mind, go back and read the following scriptures again:
Matthew 6:25-34; Matthew 7:7-11
Now I’m going to confuse you a bit so think about what I’m going to say here:
Although God is the Great Provider, we need to understand that He doesn’t need to provide us with anything more than what He’s already given.
When the Holy God gave us His only Son, Jesus, He provided us with everything we will ever need.
It’d take another whole course just to describe exactly what Jesus did for us on the cross so I want to focus on just one of the things for now:
When Jesus died and rose again, He defeated all of Satan’s works.
Satan’s works:
1. Sin
2. Sickness
3. Poverty
4. Demons and evil spirits
5. Death
Then He gave us the victory so that we could walk in freedom and experience victory in our own lives.
Luke 10:19 – “I have given you authority (EXOUSIA) to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”
EXOUSIA – authority meaning “it is lawful” or “right to act”
You see? Jesus is all we need.
However, because God is a loving Father, He will still provide other things for us as long as they are according to His will. How do we get to know what His will is?
Simple: Spend time with Him and get into His Word.
Once you understand this principle, Matt 6:25-34 begins to make a whole lot more sense.
Sometimes our prayer won’t be answered straight away. Don’t give up! If you pray according to God’s will then your prayer will be answered. Remember: Our timing and God’s timing are two completely different things.
Luke 11:5-8 – Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’
“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness (another word used here is “persistence”) he will get up and give him as much as he needs.”
Sometimes, God is just testing our faith and wants us to show persistence/perseverance.
God is not a ‘fair’ God; He is a ‘just’ God. To explain this a bit better let’s look at an illustration:
I have R100 to give away. Two of my friends ask if they can have it because they’ve landed up in some debt. One of them owes someone R80 while the other one owes someone R20. If I was a ‘fair’ friend I’d give them each half of my money (R50 each). But, if I was a ‘just’ friend I’d see what each friend needed and give accordingly.
Sometimes we look at other Christians and say to God, “Why have you blessed them so much more than me? They got R5000 from some anonymous donor while I only got R200! That’s just not fair!”
To this God would say simply, “I never said I was a ‘fair’ God. I said I was a ‘just’ God.”
Now don’t get me wrong, God loves to bless His children and give them everything their hearts desire but, sometimes, all He’ll give us is what we need and for this we must be grateful. It’s just selfish if we demand things of God because He’s already given us the ultimate gift, His Son. Who are we to ask for more? Who are we that God will listen to us? We’re nobody! But, thankfully, that’s not the way God sees it. Our God is a loving God who wants to bless us. All we have to do is ask him (Matt 7:7-11).
Enough – Chris Tomlin & Louie Giglio
All of You is more than enough for
All of me, for every thirst and every need
You satisfy me with Your love
And all I have in You is more than enough
More than all I want, more than all I need
You are more than enough for me
