By Juice 107.3 TeamThursday 7 Nov 2024FaithReading Time: 2 minutes

“Abraham answered, ‘God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ And the two of them went on together.” Genesis 22:8 (NIV)

Key points

• Jehovah-Jireh does not mean ‘God did provide’, but ‘God WILL provide’.
• God’s name is not a proclamation of a past act, but of a continuing one.
• Listen to the Names of God (Old Testament) series and others on Real Hope | The Podcast.

Every time I read the story of God asking Abraham to offer Isaac, his son, as a sacrifice I cannot help but think, ‘I’m glad it was Abraham and not me.’ It seems an absolutely unthinkable request!

Yet, as I read the rest of the story, I’m so encouraged and challenged to see how Abraham responds with faith that God will provide what is needed to honour Him in this excruciating moment.

And He does.

This is when we hear the name of God – ‘Jehovah-Jireh’ – used to remember the miracle of God’s good provision.

Jehovah-Jireh does not mean ‘God did provide’, but ‘God WILL provide’.

Abraham’s faith in God’s provision was not mislaid.

Abraham’s faith that God was not asking the most devastating thing of Him without a way out, was not without basis.

God did give Him what he needed to make the sacrifice God asked for – without needing to kill his own child.

It’s worth taking note that Jehovah-Jireh does not mean ‘God did provide’, but ‘God WILL provide’.

God’s name is not a proclamation of a past act, but of a continuing one.

God’s name is not a proclamation of a past act, but of a continuing one.

We know this in our own lives too, don’t we?

In moments where we’re not sure how the budget stretched that far or we’re not sure how we juggled all the demands on our energy or we’re not sure how we’ll get through whatever challenge is in our path, God continues to provide what we need to love Him and our neighbours in that moment.

What area of your life do you need to remember that God WILL provide … that it’s part of His very nature because He loves you and cares for you?

Listen to this episode in the player above.

Names of God (Old Testament) is a seven-week series. God has many different names in the Bible. This Real Hope podcast and article series explores seven names which are found in the Old Testament: Jehovah-Rohi, Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Rapha, Jehovah-Nissi, Jehovah-Shalom, Jehovah-Tsidkenu and Jehovah-Shammah.

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Feature image: Photo by CanvaPro

Episode supplied with thanks to Katie Smith.

Originally published as ‘Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord Shall Provide’ in Real Hope, September-October 2024.