A Prayer to Jehovah Jireh - The Lord Will Provide
By Keri Eichberger
Bible Reading:
“So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.’” - Genesis 22:14
Read or Listen Below:
I’ll never forget the day I lost so much in a seeming instant. It was the first day of school, and my husband waited to break the news until the kids were in bed. He must’ve known I would need uninterrupted time to process what he was about to share. And though with all the gratitude in me, I can praise God this loss didn’t involve what matters most in life—the people he has graciously placed in my path—the sudden news hit hard and deep. My husband informed me that the company we had invested an extreme sum of borrowed money with had abruptly been shut down due to determined fraudulent activity. On top of that, there was no promise of payback. And without getting into the nitty gritty details, suddenly, we had no idea how we were going to provide for our family fully.
It feels important to note that we had certainly prayed over the decision to make the investment and, in faith, walked forward with what we trusted was God’s guidance. In fact, I believe when we truly feel God leading toward a certain decision, doing anything that opposes that prompting would potentially be disobedience. But still, how is it that God sometimes seems to lead us to places that seem so desperate, desolate, or even destructive? That’s the question I asked when I couldn’t see a way through. When we needed provision. And wondered how this outcome could possibly be just that.
Is there an area of your life you need God to provide in? Maybe you’ve lost something or are fearing some sort of downfall, and you need certainty that God will come through for you like we did.
Shifting gears a bit, do you know the story of Abraham and Isaac from Genesis? The one where Abraham modeled maybe the most faithful display of trusting obedience when he offered his son's life, Isaac, as a sacrificial offering. I trusted God with my money that he would provide as I followed his direction, but Abraham surrendered his son. Can you even imagine the questioning of provision you and I might have in his shoes? Or the level of faith you’d have to find even to consider such an immense sacrifice divinely?
Well, even if you don’t know Abraham’s story, but you do know the character of God, you understand this: God always provides. He is his people’s faithful provider, and so he most certainly did provide. Just before Abraham followed God’s instruction to sacrifice his son in faith, an angel of the Lord called out to him to, Stop! God acknowledged Abraham’s faith, and he spared his son. Talk about praiseworthy provision. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, it shall be seen in the mount of the LORD. (Genesis 22:14 KJV). In this scripture, “Jehovah Jireh” can literally be translated to mean “the Lord will provide.” And I’d say this story was an ultimate example of God providing.
I believe if you looked over the history of your own life, you could testify to God’s provision in various and unexpected ways and measures. Personally, God’s provision for our family didn’t quite show up with returns of money from our investment initially, as we believed, or even later after we lost it. But in time, he provided in his own creative ways. In better ways. Revealing his better plan. Allowing more and more glory to be credited to him. God perfectly provided me with an extra small job for pay here, a forgiveness of a debt there. A free vacation, free meals, donated financial services, kids pitching in on work that reduced cost-associated expenses, and loads and loads of learning how to make better God-honoring spending choices to carve a clearer path to freedom. The Lord provided in ways I never imagined.
Our good God always provides, and it is always so beautiful. Abraham probably didn’t foresee things changing course. I know I didn’t, and I bet there are times you haven’t, either. But as Abraham trusted God, trusted that his Father would provide, so can we. And did he ever, does he ever, provide. And in the most life-changing way. Let the story of the heroes of the faith and the stories of our own lives remind us that God is Jehovah Jireh. The Lord will provide. For you, for me, for all his people… and always.
Let’s Pray:
Lord, You are Jehovah Jireh. You provided then, and you are providing now. So many seasons of life, and so many situations I face, I long to trust your almighty provision. But the truth is, I waiver when things don’t seem to go as I planned. And I question when I can’t see a way. Lord, help me remember you will provide exactly what I need. Help me remember that your way is better. Lord, I praise you for your provision and the beauty you are creating with all the details of my life as I place all my trust in you. In your constant providing Name, Amen.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/valio84sl
Listen to the Your Nightly Prayer Podcast
We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer, where you can sign up to receive it every evening in your inbox. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on God. Check out an episode below:
Now that you've prayed, are you in need of someone to pray for YOU? Click the button below
