God will PROVIDE

Here I am, on a Tuesday, and thinking of all the wonders God has performed. The road at times has been a long and winding one. There are tough times, toughest most, when I see people hurting, and I am unable to do much. One night, weighed down by a heavy head of thoughts, I was on my way towards transport. I saw a sparrow, eating something from the ground. And I knew, God provides for the sparrow. God will take care of me. The time was 11:55 in the night of the 22nd of January, in 2010. I carry my Bible, everyday with me. This is one of the many promises in my Bible.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. Matthew 10:29-31 - Sparrows are my favourite birds. Did you know they symbolize love and trust? I did not know it then. Do you know that God uses every means to comfort your heart, when you completely trust in Him. God sends, sparrows my way, each and every time. They are my comfort. I know that God always provides.

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide Himself a "Lamb" for a burnt offerings: so they went both of them together. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah - jireh: as it said to this day, in the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.  Genesis 22:8-14

Sometimes it is hard to know why God does the things He does. We may never know. But we know, that God loves us and that God is good.        

As a kid, I never did understand, how it must have felt for Abraham to obey God, by being ready to sacrifice his only son, Issac. But, now I do understand. Abraham called this place, 'Jehovah-Jireh' As it is said to this day, "God will provide!

Remember, Abraham had to wait for a very long, time for the birth of his son Isaac. In the Bible, Abraham had been promised, by God that his descendants would be as numerous as the sands on the sea and as the stars in the heavens. And God, called on Abraham to sacrifice his only son. Abraham believed that If God could take his son, God would raise him back from the dead and figuratively speaking, God did. God provided a Lamb for the burnt offerings. And God always keeps His promises.

Getting back to the topic: Abraham is confronted with a real dilemma of trust. And yet Abraham immediately responds to God, "Here I am!" God is trusting Abraham that the relationship being built between the two is something deeper. Earlier, Abraham had interceded for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, negotiating with God to spare the cities if a certain number of faithful people were found therein. Abraham became known as the friend of God.

We are called to look closely into our hearts how we view God and our relationship with God in light of the challenges we face. Yes, "God will provide." Abraham negotiated. But in the end he dared to trust and  believe that God could indeed be counted on to provide, especially when all seemed most hopeless. Ours is a resurrection hope, but this doesn't mean that we won't first face Gethsemane (the garden, where Jesus prayed the night before crucifixion) and the cross. We have to go through Good Friday to get to Easter Sunday.

I love Psalm 23. I keep praying on this psalm. These are two lines form the 23rd Psalm: "Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me." We may not be able to avoid going through that dark valley, but we will cross it because God is with us. And somehow, some way, God will give the strength to make it to the other side.

REMEMBER: Friends, let us not look for ways to get out of the situations. Let us instead dare to trust that God will always provide...not necessarily a way out, but always a way through. Hold on to the promise that when you do get through that God will give you double for your trouble. As God did with Job. God did restore to Job, everything twice of what was taken.

Each time I look back I know I have had and am on a remarkable journey of discovering God's faithfulness. We are often taken by surprise by circumstances and events in our lives. God never is. He knows in advance all that is going to transpire. He cares. He has provision ready for us.  God is Jehovah-Jireh, the God who always provides.