BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS:THE LORD WILL PROVIDE

“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)

 Imagine yourself in an examination hall with a blank sheet of paper in front of you. You are expected to write a two-page essay on a subject you are not at home with. It can be a frightening experience! You are anxious and worried that you will not do well with the answer you provide. Not so daunting though if you were presented with a blank cheque to fill. Your only fear would be to be careful not to fill in an amount that exceeds what is in the account. Either way, it is a terrifying experience, as you harbour the gut feeling that it would not work for you. 

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.