THE LORD WILL PROVIDE
Please read Genesis 22:1-19
So Abraham called that place, “The Lord will provide.” Genesis 22:14

There are many examples of God providing for the needs of His children, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Genesis 22 is a great example of God’s love shown through providing for a specific need. After many years of childlessness, Abraham and Sarah were blessed with a son. When God told Abraham that he must sacrifice this son as a burnt offering, it took great faith to follow God’s direction. But Abraham obeyed God and took his son, Isaac, and all the provisions needed to make a sacrifice in the mountains of Moriah, which was about a three-day trip. After taking all the steps needed to make a sacrifice, Abraham placed Isaac upon the wood on the altar, and Abraham took the knife to kill his cherished son. God stopped Abraham and said “Now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” God provided a ram that was caught in a thicket nearby for Abraham to sacrifice as his burnt offering. In Abraham’s thankfulness and praise, he called that place, Jehovah Jireh, which means The Lord will provide. Because Abraham showed great faith in his actions, he was promised many descendants who would in turn bless the whole world.

In my life-time I have seen God provide for general and specific needs, many times. However, my volunteering at Barnabas has provided many examples. In the early days of Barnabas Project, as it was called at first, we did not get the large supply of donations that we receive now. We sometimes would have requests that we were unable to fill. However, most Barnabas volunteers have stories of how they have seen God provide for needs of the people we serve. I remember that it frequently happened when one of the volunteers would say, “We are really short of” a specific item, but so many times, that item would be in one of the next bags or boxes of donations. One example in my personal experience was when a grandmother approached me and whispered, “Do you have any maternity clothes that I can get for my granddaughter?” I went to the sorting room and asked the sorters if they had seen any maternity clothes and the next box opened was exclusively maternity clothes.

At the times when you feel any type of need, tell God through prayer and trust that He will provide, in His perfect time. He still is at work in our lives, just as He was in the Bible. Don’t pass up the opportunity to allow God to show you that, “The Lord will provide”.

Our generous loving Father: We say thank you for giving us what we need when it is in Your perfect timing. Forgive us for lacking the faith to expect that You hear our requests and see our needs, and that You often give us so much more than we even had hoped.
In Jesus Name we pray. Amen

This devotion was written by Carol Peterson as a way to encourage women to know, love and serve God.