Jehovah-Jireh

I was reminded today of one of my favorite stories of faith. The story of Abraham and Isaac. Abraham had been waiting forever for his son, the one that was to become the father of a nation. He had waited so long that he jumped the gun a little with a servant and subsequently birthed two nations. But that isn't my favorite part of the story. My favorite part is when God asks Abraham to sacrifice his only son as a sign of his devotion.

Just image it. You have a father and a son climbing up a mountain together (one that in my imagination looks suspiciously like Pikes Peak). The father has given the son a whole bunch of wood to carry, partly because he can't carry it all alone and partly to keeps his son's hands still. They begin the journey upward. Every step for the father feels as if he is walking through quicksand. He knows what his task is, and dreads it, but fears God more. The son walks a little lighter but is confused. Everything needed for a sacrifice is there except the sacrifice itself, it does not make sense but he continues anyway. At one point he turns around and asks his dad where the sacrifice is, to which his dad solemnly declares that the Lord will provide.

That right there is my favorite moment. Abraham does not know that God is going to give him a lamb. He has no idea that God is going to spare his son. He just knows that God provides. I have often wondered if maybe he thought that if God forced him to sacrifice this son that God would give him another, or if he had hoped all along that their would be a lamb in the end.

They got to the place of sacrifice. So Abraham did what he set out to do, he built the alter, and prepared his son to be the sacrifice. He took the very thing that meant the most to him and prepared it to be sacrificed. He took the son that he had waited so long for, the hope of a nation and prepared him for sacrifice. It was not until the very last moment that God stepped in and had an angel stop Abraham.

Jehovah-Jireh, The God who Provides.

I wish that I had the faith of Abraham. The ability to truly believe that God will provide for me however he sees fit. I look at my miserable attempts to sacrifice comforts and compare that to what Abraham and I feel ashamed, I mean really, giving up chocolate for a month is nothing compared to giving up a son. What is sadder still is how I actually thought I was strong enough to give up chocolate for a month, who was I kidding.

But that is the great part of faith. God knows me, and knows how hard I'm trying to put my complete faith in him. He sees my attempts and failures at sacrificing and takes them as the offering they were meant to be. He continues to mold me and shape me into the person that I am to become. Mostly though he provides. He provides me with a constant reminder of his love. He provides me with a hope for the future and healing for the past.

Jehovah-Jireh