Day 16
God is Provider
And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 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.”
Genesis 22:13-14
I’ll never forget the little glass table with gold legs where we sat with our pastor as a newly married couple almost 40 years ago. One part of the conversation still resonates in my memory and has encouraged me time and time again over the years.
We talked that day about many topics, but one thing I remember about our discussion was tithing. As a young twenty-year-old couple, the mere thought of tithing was something far from our minds as we were living on a very meager salary and going to college concurrently. How could we ever give 10% to the church and yet afford the things we truly needed to provide for our family? Our pastor encouraged us to give it to God, start small, and just watch Him provide. He never made us feel “less than” because we didn’t think we could tithe, but he gently reminded us of how much we were loved and that God would always provide our needs. So, that is just what we did, and we have watched His faithful hand provide over and over again through the years. (Malachi 3:10)
When I recall the many ways He has provided for our family in the past, monetary ways are only a small part. Our needs have been met physically, mentally, and spiritually in so many situations. It would require me to write a book to share the many ways He has provided for our family, but one situation that changed our family more than ever was a need we didn’t even know we had.
Our hands and hearts were full with three little boys in our early years of marriage, and we knew we could not have more children. Our hearts, however, still had a longing that would not go away for a little girl. Through prayer and petition, we asked God to provide the desire of our hearts or take away the longing. He didn’t do either, or so it seemed, for many years. And then, in His perfect timing, He began to work in our hearts to introduce us to something we had never considered. As our heavenly Father began to lay adoption on our hearts, it became necessary to learn to trust Him on new roads we had never before walked. We did not know how we could afford adoption or how it would look within our family. There were so many questions and so few answers that required us to lean on our faith in God’s plan, knowing He would provide in His timing, despite us wanting to know the details.
The biggest lesson we learned during that process was that He did provide, through His means and His timing, in situations far better than we had ever hoped or imagined. Our God is creative, faithful, and loving, and He loves to provide the desires of our hearts as we learn to trust Him and grow in our faith during the process.
FURTHER REFLECTION:
What is your greatest need? Whom do you go to first to have your needs met? If God has never failed you before, why would He do so now? What is preventing you from trusting His process?
PRAYER:
Lord, I pray that You will provide my needs at this moment and in the times ahead. I don’t know Your plan, but I trust Your hand and know You love me. Please, Father, fill me with Your Holy Spirit so I can experience Your nearness. In the days ahead, when the world seems heavy and burdens are many, will You allow Your loving embrace to fill me with the light of life? As You provide my desires, will You show me that Your presence is truly my greatest need?
FOR FURTHER STUDY: 2 Kings 4:1-7; Nehemiah 9:15-20; Malachi 3:10, Psalm 55:22; Psalm 145:17-19; Matthew 6:26, 21:22
by: Suzette Jones