21. My Provider (2)

Names of God Meditations No.21:  My Provider (2)

Gen 22:14  “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.”

Recap: Yesterday we launched out onto this great lake called Provision and my main point was that all we have is a gift of God and calls for both our awareness and thankfulness. We talked in very general terms and so perhaps today we should turn to specifics and pick up on the starter verse we have had for both studies so far.

Lessons from Abraham: Abraham had come to a point of God-induced crisis. Abraham’s story is all about the God of Provision, although he hadn’t realised it until this point. God had called him to the land of Canaan which, He said, He was giving to him; He was providing a home for him and his descendants forever. He also confronted his childlessness and said He would enable he and Sarah to have a son, but not just a son but a dynasty that would become a great nation.

He was providing him with a name and a future. So yes, he lived in the land and eventually Isaac is born and grows into a teenager. However it is then that life gets confusing, for God tells him to let go of this precious son, indeed, to kill him. Death, of course, is the ultimate separation, but with the inspiration and insight of the Holy Spirit, the writer to the Hebrews declares, “even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.” (Heb 11:18,19)

The fuller picture: Now God, Ezekiel tells us (Ezek 18:23,32 & 33:11) is not a ‘pleasure-through-death’ God, and as the story unfolds, (Gen 22:11-13) we see that is clearly not His intention. Now I wonder if we have realised the logic that the writer to the Hebrews presents us with. Abraham had received God’s promise of a son, a number of times. If God had promised this son would produce a family, then if God wanted him killed, then GOD would HAVE TO raise him up again. We may struggle with that faith-logic but Abraham clearly didn’t. In the event it wasn’t necessary because God didn’t want Isaac killed; He just wanted to see the state of Abraham’s faith.

And Us? Now there is something behind all this which is ultra-challenging, and it is what we think about God when we don’t understand. Do we blame God for bad when we just don’t have the full understanding, thinking, “Oh well, this is a nasty side of God, but I’ll just have to learn to cope with that in the light of all the good things about Him”? I am absolutely convinced, and I’ve said it a number of times over the years because I think some of us really need to hear it, that God NEVER makes mistakes, and WHATEVER He says or does IS the right thing, the ONLY thing in the light of ALL of the circumstances, many of which we cannot see from our limited-knowledge vantage point.

But there is a further dimension to this whole ‘God-provision’ issue that brings its reality and our response to the forefront of our thinking here. It is this whole business of trusting God for provision. Now I don’t want to jump on the same bandwagon as the American ‘prosperity teachers’ for I would rather paint a more accurate picture of what the Bible teaches, either directly or indirectly.

Trusting God: Our starting place must be a deep trust in God’s love for us and His provision for us. Israel, as they left Egypt, traversed the desert to Sinai and then on from Sinai back north to the border of the Promised Land. A number of times the Lord led them through the wilderness where it seemed that resources were scarce and at that moment their hearts were revealed. Would they ask Moses to ask the Lord what to do about their running short of water or food generally (even though they clearly had plenty of cattle and sheep with them) OR would they grumble, complain and rebel. In their immaturity as a nation they opted for the latter.

Jesus refocuses us: Jesus taught us to not make focusing on material need the main thing (Mt 6:25-34) but instead to, “Set your heart on the kingdom and his goodness, and all these things will come to you as a matter of course,” (v.33 JBP) or, “Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.” (v.33 Msg)  

Caring & Trusting: Part of the kingdom business will include “loving your neighbour as yourself,” (Mt 22:39), caring for and making provision for your family (1 Tim 5:4,8), and caring for those who are in need, especially within the family of God (1 Jn 3:17). Hearts that are open, compassionate and caring will, I suggest, be giving hearts (tithing I suggest is an Old Testament practice that, yes, Jews of Jesus’ day still followed but new hearts are open to the Spirit’s prompting in much bigger ways to bless others!) but they also need to be trusting hearts, trusting in God’s provision, and this is not only a gift given to some (see Rom 12:8b) but something all of us, I believe, can learn in a growing measure, and it is very much linked to trust and faith. I will give examples of such giving in the next study. God IS a God who provides, but examples of it are perceived most by those with eyes to see and hearts open to give to and bless others.