They had been traveling three days when Abraham saw on the horizon the place the Lord had told him to make the sacrifice (Gen. 22:1-18). The young servants were asked to stay with the donkey. They did not need to interfere with what was about to happen. While they walked, Abraham was perhaps wondering how Isaac would react to the events that would soon unfold. Isaac asked a question, “We have the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” From a heart of tempered faith and tested conviction, Abraham responded, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” We know the rest of the story. We know that Abraham bound Isaac and prepared to sacrifice his own son, “God will provide…my son.” We know that an angel of the Lord halted the sacrifice, and God did provide for Himself a ram. God reaffirmed His promises to Abraham. One of which would bless all the nations of the earth. The name of that place was called Jehovah-jireh, the Lord will pride.
My question to you is this, is the Lord God still Jehovah-jireh today? Does He still provide? As you think about that and ponder the possibilities, I want to be clear that I am not asking if God works miraculously. That is another study. What I am asking is if you can look back on your life and think of a moment when God provided?
Consider Matthew 6:25-34 and 7:7-11. They are part of the famous Sermon on the Mount—the earliest recorded lesson of Christ. Both of which teach about the provision of God. Matthew 6 has us look towards nature. Nature does not worry, and it is provided for by God. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith” (Matt. 6:30)! The passage in Matthew seven highlights the relationship of father and child. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him” (Matt. 7:11)! God provides for nature. He most assuredly will provide for us. He, being our heavenly Father, knows how to provide for His children. James 1:17 tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from God.
We can trust that God has provided for His children in every way. When the sins of the world cried out for a sacrifice God said, “I will provide, My Son.” “But, God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him (Rom. 5:8-9).