One of the names of God is Yahweh-Yireh which means “the Lord will provide.” And He does! Hebrew people still use the proverb, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” We can still trust Him today because He will always provide for His children. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. I remember what He has done for me in my past and project that onto my present situation. He is good. I can trust Him. You can trust Him too. God provides for us in many wonderful ways. Here are eleven of those ways. You may want to journal and count your blessings as you read through the list.
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1. God Has Provided the Bible, His Word
God provided His written Word to teach us valuable truths. The bible was written over many hundreds of years by more than forty different people. It was written by multiple authors but inspired by God Himself. That’s why it is one, solid story from Genesis through Revelation. The bible has sixty-six books within it that all tell how God’s children attempted to follow Him. But aren’t you glad that it also depicts the ways that people messed up while following Him? The bible is full of second chances, which we all need. Life is full of many more stories of God’s people living to glorify Him. Take a few moments to write down all the ways that God has been good to you.
2. God Provides Life
When I was conceived, God knit me together in my mother’s womb. He provided for me an intricate and complex body. He provided the air that I need to live. And He planned out how He would use me in this life before I was ever born. He gave me life and a destiny to go within that life. Write down your plans in life and pray about how God may want to use those plans.
3. God Provided the Earth
In Genesis 1, God provided a beautiful earth for us to live, learn, and grow in. He provided the heavens and the earth for us to enjoy. Light was provided as a relief from the darkness. Seed-bearing plants and trees with fruit fed us. Look out the window and notice all the nature around you. Even one tree is a majestic thing!
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4. God Provides Mercy
Genesis 3 shows Adam and Eve disobeying by eating the one plant that God said they couldn’t. But God, in His mercy, provided animal skins for them to have clothes to cover their nakedness. Even when we mess up, God still cares for us. Remember a time when you messed up and asked for God’s forgiveness. Thank Him for the grace and mercy that followed.
5. God Provided a Sacrifice
Genesis 22 shows God providing a substitute so Isaac wouldn’t have to be a sacrifice. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, as God told him to do. But at the last moment, God stopped him and provided a ram to be sacrificed instead. Abraham only had to be willing. Many years later, God the Father provided His Son as a sacrifice for His children’s sins. But this sacrifice wasn’t stopped in the middle. This one had to be fulfilled completely, even to death on a cross.
God the Father loved the world so much that He provided His Son so we could have eternal, abundant life. God provided us a way out of sin and death. Thank You, Jesus! Thank Jesus for walking the long road to Calvary for you. He gladly took your place. God sent His Son into the world, not to judge it, but to make it possible for repentant sinners to be forgiven of our sins. He was sacrificed for us. Again, thank God for the Cross of Christ. You can never thank Him enough!
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6. God Provides Us with Patience (and Opportunities to Practice Patience)
Genesis 37-50 tells the story of Joseph. God provided patience and perseverance for Joseph. He had to withstand being sold into slavery by his own brothers. He was thrown into jail because Potiphar’s wife lied and said that he had attacked her. He had to wait another two years in prison because Pharaoh’s chief cup-bearer forgot to use his pull with Pharaoh to get Joseph out. Joseph was finally pardoned and made a ruler of Egypt. But then, he had to swallow his felt need of revenge when his brothers came looking for help during the great famine. In the end, he learned that forgiveness is better than revenge. God is the only one that can truly handle justice. He realized that what people did to him didn’t matter in the scheme of his whole life because God used it all for his good.
Remember a time in your past that didn’t seem fair or even right. In hindsight, can you see how God brought you through that event? He might have even used that distressing event for your ultimate good. Think about it.
7. God Provides for Our Basic Needs
One month after leaving Egypt, the Israelites were missing the good food they had previously eaten (Exodus 16). The desert didn’t hold much as far as good cuisine. The Lord heard their cry. He rained down manna—a sweet wafer-like treat—each morning and quail was provided each evening for their dinner. He cares for our needs each and every day. Why do we worry about what we’ll eat, drink, or wear? He knows we need those things and longs to provide us with them. Thank Him for your food, clothes, and shelter.
8. God Provides for Our Desires
1 Samuel 1 tells the story of Hannah. She was unable to have children with her husband. One day she went to the Tabernacle and prayed so fervently for a baby that the priest thought that she had been drinking. She assured him that she hadn’t been. She was just pouring her heart out to her Lord. The priest agreed with Hannah in prayer that her request be heard and answered. And in due time, Hannah delivered a son named Samuel which means “I asked the Lord for him.” The Lord doesn’t just provide our necessities. He also sometimes provides our heart’s desires. Some desires within your heart were put there by God. Pray about the ones He wants to fulfill for you.
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9. God Provided Us an Example to Live by in Jesus
Jesus walked the earth with us to show us how to live. He gave us a perfect example of how to walk in love, forgiveness, and peace. He took away the strict rules and replaced them with boundaries instead. Boundaries to keep us safe not to hold us back. A child does best under the supervision of his parents. I do best under the supervision of my heavenly Father. He gladly provides this guidance and care. Write down some of the lessons that Jesus has shown you as you’ve walked through this life.
10. God Has Provided Us an Advocate, the Holy Spirit
When Jesus had to return to heaven, He sent the Holy Spirit to live within us after we believe in Christ. This Spirit shows us when we do something wrong. He shows us how to live righteously. He guides and protects and holds us safe. God provided a Helper to be with us always. Remember all of the ways that you’ve been comforted in this life.
God provided a way, a truth, and a life for us. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6). Come to Him. Believe in Him. He will gladly take all of your heavy burdens and carry them for you. It’s the only decision in life that you’re guaranteed to never regret. You will still have to walk through life’s trials but He will help you and walk through them with you. He has overcome the world. Don’t you want to be on His side?
Pray with me:
Dear Lord God, remove the veil from my eyes so that I can see Your truth clearly. Open my eyes to the abundance of grace and mercy that are all around me. Come into my heart and show me how to really live. Help me to stop living for myself and sin. Help me to live for You and bring glory to You. Teach me how to produce this kind of fruit in my life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I want to live this way in order to glorify You and thank You with my life. Loving You and loving my neighbors is what it’s all about. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
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