This name of God is only used one time in the Bible and it comes just after God tests Abraham’s obedience by telling him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, on an altar of fire. This is Abraham and Sarah’s only son. The son they prayed for…ached for…and waited fifty years for.  

“Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Genesis 22:13-14

It’s easy to slip into Sunday school mode when reading stories from the Bible that have become overly familiar. I don’t know about you, but I’ve heard this story about Abraham several times and it usually congers images of a Hollywood production, ending with Abraham at the altar with a glowing ring of faithfulness around his head. Please understand, I’m not making light of it. Quite the opposite, in fact. 

There is nothing nice or entertaining about this event. It really happened in human history, and it’s horrific.

When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac and placed him on the altar on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. (Genesis 22:9-10)

It’s impossible to imagine the pain and confusion that raged in Abraham’s head as he held the knife and looked into the face of his son – the son he dearly loved and was promised as the start of many nations. It’s unthinkable. And to be perfectly honest, I question how any parent could even pick the knife up in the first place.

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!…Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from me.” Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide.” (Genesis 22:9-14)

Unfathomable faith. Abraham withheld nothing from God, and God rewarded his obedience by sparing Isaac and providing an alternative sacrifice. See, God knew what Abraham didn’t. He saw what Abraham couldn’t. And I believe that he empowered Abraham to do what seemed impossible because of his faith that God’s Word is trustworthy, and his provision is perfect.

What (or who) are we withholding from God because we aren’t fully trusting Jehovah Jireh…the God who provides? It’s time to build our fire. It’s time to lay our greatest fears and most precious blessings on the altar, and trust that God is quietly working in ways we cannot see, arranging the details of our lives so that we will receive exactly what we need, exactly when we need it. 

Making it Personal

  • What thing about my adult children am I holding too tightly?
  • What provisions am I waiting for in the lives of my adult kids?
  • Right now, I lay these things on a proverbial altar and surrender them to Jehovah Jireh. (Write your prayer to God on the lines below and ask him to give you the faith you need to trust his perfect provision.)

January prayers for your adult kids

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