By Dina Matthews
Sometimes I forget. In the calm, comfortable times, it can be easy – even preferable – to forget that I may be asked to sacrifice something bigger than I routinely give.
When I am asked to lay something big down, it usually feels like a loss or a trial to me.
Because of that, I’ve had more than my share of moments where I’m left wondering, “God, what in the world are you doing?”
Have you ever been there?
When one hard thing happens, I think, “I can do this.”
Two more hard things arrive on the heels of the first, and I’m praying, “Lord, I know I trust you. Can you please help me with this?”
But what happens when the dominoes continue to fall?
When my husband lost his job, we trusted God to provide what came next. Little did we know that what would come next was a traumatic time in the life of our mentally ill child.
Never before did I think I would be praising God for Ted being unemployed! But it has allowed him to be home, walking with us, and being a very present support during this difficult time. Provision.
It’s been during this same period of weeks that I’ve had a bad mammogram finding, my usually trouble-free child has begun an emotional spiral and ceased eating, our insurance situation now is a mess ( with a mentally ill child that’s a very big deal), there’s a leak in the roof of our home, and the list goes on.
And here’s the interesting thing that God is doing: He keeps directing my attention to Abraham. Specifically, the story of the call for Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac.
A guy so full of faith, trusting God so completely that he could say, as he marched his son up to the altar of sacrifice, “Son, God will provide his own sheep for his offering.”
And then Abraham lifted his eyes.
When he lifted those eyes, Abraham saw the ram caught in the bushes – God’s provision for his obedience in being willing to lay his Isaac down.
Whenever I look up from my own trials and circumstances, it never fails that God has made some provision that is so creative, all I can do is praise Him.
Yes, God is asking us to lay down our security and comfort and even our parenting, and to trust him with it completely. And he is showing me through his Word that he never, ever fails to provide.
So I am lifting my eyes, opening them wide to expect the unexpected and saying, “Lord, I can’t wait to see how you do this!”
Scripture
Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Genesis 22:13 (NLT)
Question
Where is God providing for you that you may not have noticed before now?
Prayer
Lord, I can’t wait to see how you do this. I trust you and I love you. Thank you for your constant provision. Amen.
Thought
God’s provision for me every day, no matter what, is the gift of the Holy Spirit within me, to guide, comfort, correct and protect.
