Genesis 22:13-14 -Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The- Lord -Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
One day I was reading an article about a miraculous provision from God. In the article the missionary shared how he and the children were praying for a need for the mission and as they were praying, one of the little girls prayed for a baby doll. Now this has been a while and I don’t remember all the details of why they were praying, but I remember she prayed for a baby doll.
Well, not long after they prayed, a box came to him from his sister. She would send boxes of things to him, but usually they were needs. However, in this box was a baby doll. Now since she had mailed the box to him weeks before they prayed, there was no way for her to know the girl prayed for a doll. But lo and behold, a doll was in the box. She explained it by saying that as she packed the box she saw the doll and felt impressed to add it! She had no way of knowing that a little girl would pray for a doll, but God knew. (If you have read this and I didn’t tell it completely accurately, don’t be offended! I just want to get the point across!)
Another time I was reading, could have been the same article, not sure, but I was reading when I read about a missionary who had lost his glasses. He was really at a disadvantage without his glasses and had no way of getting another pair where he was at. So he asked God for some new glasses. Again, a box came in with a pair of glasses with the perfect prescription for him! They got in the box because a packer of the box dropped them accidentally in the box and they were mailed off. Apparently the person who lost his glasses had access the missionary didn’t have to a new pair of glasses. (Surmising here!) But God sent those glasses in the mail, before the need arrived and provided for it in advance!
Well, recently, I had a similar thing happen to me. Our daughter had a washer and dryer in her apartment, in another state, that she needed to have moved because it was sitting in her living room. We decided to go and visit her, but we would go in our truck so that we could bring it back home and store it in our basement until she decided what she wanted to do with it. You guessed it, my washer died on me suddenly. And yes! He had already provided a washer for me! Sitting in my basement ready for use!
He is good like that! He knows what we have need of before we ask and often times He just provides it without us asking or sends it to us before we even know we have the need.
That’s what happened with Abraham. He went to obey God and offer up his son, knowing the promise God had given him concerning Isaac! I think Abraham was expecting to see his first resurrection. When he told his servants that he and his son was going to worship and would return, he was fully expecting God to give him a miracle. God watched as Abraham was ready to obey Him and in the moment of complete obedience God stopped him and showed him the ram! He had already provided!
Peter wrote: “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,” (2 Peter 1:3). As Christians we spend half of our lives begging God to provide to us that which He has already provided! Every thing we need that pertains to life and godliness has been given to us already. Now we trust and believe that He has provided it and will get it to us! This isn’t an easy transition to make-going from begging, to praying and trusting, but it’s a necessary transition.
What do you have need of today? What are you asking Him for? Can you believe that He has already provided? If you can, He has! Now believe and receive it! Not name it and claim it and blab it and grab it! But trust that your Heavenly Father truly wants to bless you with all that He has provided! Wonderful Jesus!
Wonderful Jesus! 