The Names of GodNäide

Yahweh Jireh: The LORD Will Provide

Have you ever given money to support a child through an organization like Compassion International or World Harvest? People have been donating money to desperate people nearby and far away for hundreds of years. Even in the Bible, the apostle Paul leaves Ephesus with the money the churches of Asia had collected for the poor Christians in Jerusalem. But child sponsorship groups have learned something very important: The collection and the distribution of donations does more good when there is a personal connection between the giver and the receiver.

When Abraham calls the mountain Yahweh Jireh, Hebrew for “the LORD will provide,” the Hebrew brings a deeper meaning than we understand in English. Yesterday we read about Hagar, who called God “the one who sees me,” and the Hebrew idea of provision is closely aligned with seeing a person’s need. Abraham is saying more than, “God has provided the thing.” He is saying, “God sees my deep need and has provided the thing I cannot provide for myself.”

God required a sacrifice from Abraham, and he provided it. God requires payment for sin, and he provided the payment himself, sacrificing his own son for our sake.

Will God provide for your financial needs, your broken relationships, and your medical needs? Pray for these things. If God is powerful enough to raise Christ from the dead, he can supply our every need. God is good, and whether or not the situation works out as we would hope, we know that God will give us the strength to see it through.

Prayer: Dear God, the one who provides, I thank you that you see me and know what I need and then you give good gifts to me. You have provided for my greatest need, the need for salvation, and I know that you will provide everything else. Even if this situation doesn’t turn out the way I would plan it, I will worship you, because you are good. Amen.