Hope. Hope. I’m revisiting this blog from March, 2020, because it still feels timely. I’ve tweaked it a little.
Jehovah-Jireh. Here’s a Bible study and a little Hebrew lesson.
I’m sharing this because it grew out of my own quiet time and was beyond encouraging. I want you to benefit from it, too.
We could all use some encouragement. Because many of us are scared.
Jehovah-Jireh is Hebrew, and is translated “The Lord Will Provide.” Of course He will; but why do we so often behave like He won’t?
I’ve written plenty in recent weeks about COVID-19, and it has occupied our minds. It’s affected and will continue to affect everyone.
Odds are you wont get the coronavirus. And if you do, the odds are extraordinarily in your favor that you will get well. I’m not factoring in high risk folks – this is for everyone else.
What will impact us all are the financial ramifications. This isn’t about the politics or vaccine mandates or any of that. (Well, I guess it sorta is, but that’s not my point.)
This: You may have faced a job layoff during this unprecedented time. Someone you know or love might be in that place, even if you aren’t. I don’t know the stats, but I know many, many people live paycheck to paycheck. And now people can potentially lose their jobs if they refuse to be vaccinated. (This isn’t some political posturing on my part. I’m just stating a fact.) No one is immune. Ripple effect, right? Think that causes some folks to lose hope?
It’s almost 2022, and people are legitimately wondering how they’re to pay their rent, their mortgage, their car notes, their utility bills … all that.
Can you say stress?
Well, pilgrim, check this out:
Genesis 22:14 (ESV)
So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
The Lord will provide = Jehovah-Jireh.
You can read Genesis 22 for the whole story. It’s quite familiar. This is the tale of God telling the patriarch Abraham that he was to go up on the mountain and sacrifice his son Issac.
There’s plenty to unpack there – for instance, why would God ask for pagan human sacrifice? How could Abraham be so assured that God would provide a sacrifice? What about Abraham’s words to the others that had accompanied Issac and him – “I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you?”
Whew.
Truth is, God sent an angel to stay Abraham’s hand. Abraham recognized the timeless truth that the Lord will provide, and He did.
Don’t miss this. God is Jehovah-Jireh, then and now.
God is our only provider, He and He alone. And the command is to not be afraid. Don’t be afraid.
Cling to this truth.
Not only does God provide, He is your provider.
I know what you’re thinking, because I’ve thought it, too: “Okay, Lord, I get that. But here’s my checkbook. What am I supposed to do now?”
I’d suggest that His provision doesn’t always come in a way we’d think or expect. We’re to be open-minded and open-hearted.
Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord will provide. Our attitude should be that our hands are wide open to receive. This is beyond scary, sometimes. It’s because we can’t see the future, and what we do see looks dismal.
We’re at a place of choosing: Do we choose to believe He will take care of us?
Even beyond that, what about our emotions? Your rational mind may believe God is indeed Jehovah-Jireh, and that He will provide. Why, then, are you anxious, stressed, and an emotional wreck?
God can handle our emotions, too. If you’re scared, tell Him. Angry? He’ll take whatever you want to throw at Him. Just don’t stop there. Ask Him to heal your emotions with His perfect love. That will give you hope.
Since God is Jehovah-Jireh, as provider He is ready to give you all He knows you need.
He won’t leave you or forsake you. He’s promised. I’d wager that, if you look back, you can point to times in your past when He provided, in ways you didn’t anticipate. So, knowing that God doesn’t change, what are your expectations of Him now?
Jesus certainly understood that there would be times when we’d say, “Lord, I don’t have a clue as to how You’re gonna work this out.” And yet:
Matthew 6:25-27
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
See any loopholes or exceptions there? Me neither.
I think in these days we need to do a lot of listening and a lot of letting go. It’s releasing your worry to God and asking Him what He wants you to learn about Himself and you. He wants you to have real hope, not hope based on anything outside of Him.
One ancient story tells of the children of Israel who’d been set free from Egyptian bondage. They were wandering around in the wilderness, and they were hungry.
God feeds them manna.
Know what? This was a food they’d never seen before, so they didn’t know to ask for it. They didn’t even know what it was, and yet it was provided for them.
In these times of crazy uncertainty, we’re called on to trust in God, who has promised to provide what we need. Maybe it’ll be in a totally unexpected way.
Be still. Feel God’s presence. He sure does love you. He’s Jehovah-Jireh. He’ll provide for us all. He gives hope.
Note: There is an app available called “Abide” I heartily recommend. It’s guided prayer and meditation, and it is balm for the soul. Some of my thoughts today grew out of a prayer time from Abide a few days ago.
