"So Abraham called the name of that place, 'The Lord will provide'; as it is said to this day, 'On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.'" - Genesis 22:14.
My husband John and I moved to Trinity in July 2013, less than a month after our wedding and only a couple of months after completing our undergraduate degrees. I became involved in Trinity Wives by being a part of a small group, and the leaders combined the groups for the very first session of the year. One of the small group leaders did the line game as the ice breaker, where you put a line on the ground and people stand a little ways from the line. When she asked a question or said a statement that applied to you, you would step forward to the line. I'll never forget the last question she asked: "How many of you have seen how the Lord provides, whether it was in providing so that you and your family could come to Trinity, or in previous times in your life?" The laughter and joking died away, and everyone became very serious. It seemed as though everyone in unison stepped forward to the line, proclaiming "Yes. The Lord has provided." Even in times of struggle, even when we don't think it is possible, the Lord has always provided, and He will always provide in the future.
When John and I first came to Trinity, we had only a little in our bank accounts. It was enough to get us through a couple more months of paying rent, and we had to take our students loans to pay for tuition. I had been looking for and applying to jobs since April; and by August, I was getting pretty desperate and starting to feel defeated. I started applying for anything and everything in the medical and pharmaceutical fields, from receptionist to lab technician, in hospitals, clinics, and manufacturing companies, whatever I could find. Finally, I had applied to a clinic receptionist job in Zion that was posted by a temp agency. The temp agency asked me to come in and interview in person, saying they would try and find me a job that fit with my skills and what I was looking for, but they didn't think the receptionist job was it. My resume was lying out on their counter after my interview while I was waiting for my contact to look through his listing of jobs. Someone just happened to walk by, glance down, and see it. And then she picked it up and finished reading it. When she was done, she immediately asked to see me, and then told me right away, "I have a job for you!" I couldn't help but ask her if she was serious. And she confirmed that she was serious, even adding that I would be a perfect fit. The company wanted me to start right away, and how crazy it was that my resume was just laying out there, and she happened to see it because she had been trying really hard to fill this position. In my head I was thinking, "What a God thing. I don't care what this job is, I'm in." And so I began my job at Akorn Pharmaceuticals, just in the nick of time. And that job has helped provide for John and me throughout our whole time at Trinity, and blessed us beyond what we imagined. So when that small group leader asked if I had seen how the Lord provided for me and my family to be here at Trinity, I stepped forward along with all the other women.
Sometimes it's hard to trust in the Lord to provide. When you can barely make rent, or the student loans are piling up, it can be difficult to let go and say, "Lord, it's in your hands. I trust You." But one of the names of God, Jehovah-Jireh from Genesis 22:14, tells us that our God is a God who provides for us. Along with Genesis 22:14, there are many other Bible verses that speak the truth of "The Lord will provide." Here are just a few: Matthew 6:25-34, Matthew 7:7-15, The Lord's Prayer ("Give us this day our daily bread), Philippians 4:6, and Philippians 4:19.
Finally, let's take a look specifically at how the Lord provided in Genesis 22, the story which causes Abraham to proclaim Jehovah-Jireh.
God was testing Abraham's commitment to Him. Can you imagine your thoughts if God asked you to give up your child (your only child as it repeatedly says in Genesis 22) to Him? Imagine Isaac's thoughts as his father tied him to the altar. But both Abraham and Isaac had faith that the Lord would provide an alternate sacrifice, and because of their faith, God provided a ram in the place of Isaac.
How this points to Jesus! It amazes me that even in Genesis, God's plan for the redemption of His people is being revealed. Reading through the text, I can see the similarities of Isaac and Jesus. I can see how God provides for Himself a lamb. I can see how God did not withhold His Son, His only Son. And I can see even more clearly how the Lord has provided for us. With Jesus, God has provided for us a way to finally stand before Him. He has provided for us the ultimate treasure, the treasure of Heaven. And He provided the sacrifice necessary to atone for our sin.
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." - John 3:16
By Alyssa VandenHeuvel
No comments:
Post a Comment