Jehovah Jireh

Early on in my Christian life I learned a name for God, "Jehovah Jireh," which means the Lord is my provider. Lately, I have seen God's provision in our lives in many ways. The first is through His provision of financial support for the work we are going to do in Uganda. We are so encouraged to now have 58% of our monthly support committed. And our one-time support is around 75%! We are so thankful for God's provision in this way.

Soon after being brought to GSF

I can also see God's provision for a little boy who was recently taken in at Good Shepherd's Fold. He was 2 1/2 years old and weighed only 9 pounds. He is now being fed regularly, is gaining weight and is now able to crawl. I am so thankful that this boy is being cared for, and it breaks my heart to think of his first 30 months of life. This little boy must have spent much of that time hungry. But God has seen His need and has provided. He now has food and people demonstrating God's loving care for him.

The passage in the Bible where God is called Jehovah Jireh, is about much more than just God's material provision for His people, though. The name is mentioned in Genesis 22, when God spares the life of Isaac and provides a ram to be sacrificed in his place. This is a story of God saving his people and keeping his promises.

3 months later, gaining weight, crawling and smiling

To be honest, sometimes I struggle trusting God with the future. I forget that God is my Provider. He has loved us so much that He provided eternal life for us through the sacrifice of His own Son. When I fail to trust God with the future, it is usually because I am not trusting in His loving control. There are many things that I do not know about the future, but I do know that God is and will always be my Provider.

As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 8, "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:31-39 ESV)