“You
will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in
You.” (Isaiah 26:3)
“No
eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for
those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Actually,
some of us would feel that way as we usher in the New Year 2017. It looks
exactly like a blank page or a blank cheque. We do not know what it holds for
us? How and what to fill it with? What the outcome will be? How these twelve
months will unfold? In what direction will we flow? No doubt you are thinking
of all these questions in your head at this time as you look forward to yet
another year the outcome of which you cannot influence or determine.
The
answer lies in God, the El Shaddai---‘the God that is more than enough.’ If you
do not know the future, you know who holds the future. For forty years He led
the Children of Israel through the wilderness without a compass----destination
Canaan, the Promised Land. He led them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar
of fire by night. (Exodus 13:21) He fed them manna throughout. There was not a
day they did not have to eat. In order for them to build complete trust in Him,
the manna was provided daily. Manna could not be kept overnight; it could not
be stored either. It had to be consumed the day it was provided or else it
developed worms and became inedible. They were only allowed to take a supply of
the manna on Friday, for the Sabbath (Saturday)---a day of rest. (Exodus
16:4-5) God provided for them one day at a time. “Therefore do not worry about
tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of
its own.” (Matthew 6:34)
Christ
the Living Bread
That
means that during that period, The Children of Israel neither sowed nor reaped,
yet they were fed and watered. Their numbers notwithstanding, God ensured they
were provided for during the entire forty-year long journey. What a mighty God!
In the New Testament, Jesus declared that He was the Bread of Life that
sustains us. And to prove it, He fed five thousand men not counting the women
and children by multiplying five loaves and two fish offered by a lad in the
crowd. (Read the account in Matthew 14:13-21)
Provision
by faith
Abraham
was childless in his old age; he asked God for a son and God blessed him with
Isaac at a hundred years of age. To test Abraham’s faith, God asked him years
later to “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the
region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the
mountains that I will tell you about.” (Genesis 22:2) Abraham obeyed. The very
next day, assisted by two of his servants, he set out with enough wood, fire and
a knife. At a certain point he left the servants behind as he continued with
Isaac. As they journeyed, Isaac asked his father; “The fire and wood are here,
but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Father Abraham responded “God
Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering my son.” (Genesis 22:8)
And rightly so, just as Abraham was about to slay his son on the altar, a voice
stopped him and provided him with a ram which he sacrificed instead of Isaac.
The God we serve---‘Jehovah-Jireh’ (the God who provides) “...will meet all
your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians
4:19)
Our
God is faithful.
Ever
since the fall of Adam and Eve when they disobeyed Him in the Garden of Eden,
He has not abandoned humanity in spite of His anger, “...what is man that You
are mindful of him, the son of man that You care for him?” (Psalm 8:4) Our God
has already made the necessary provisions for each and every one of us---and
this from the beginning of time. So would He in the New Year, believe it!
The
story is told of a mother in the company of her son who were about to cross a
once shallow river that had burst its banks after some heavy rains. It was
routine until then. Having mustered enough courage, the mother said to her son
‘Hold my hand, we are going to attempt to cross.’ After a thought, the lad
suggested to his mother. ‘Mother let me hold your hand instead, in that way you
will hold on to me whatever the circumstances. I am not sure I would not let go
of your hand should anything happen during the crossing.’
The
lad had put all his trust and confidence in his mother. He looked up to her for
her strength in times of adversity. Likewise our strength is in the Lord who is
the Rock of Ages. He cannot be moved and no situation can move Him. In the New
Year hold unto His hand.
