Provision Through Christ
Abraham was 100 years old when his wife, Sarah, gave birth to their only son, Isaac. Their long lives had been filled with disappointment, longing, and sorrow because they could not bear children. But they rested on God’s promise, and it came to pass.
Recently, the Lord told me, “Expect and depend on My provision, not your depletion.” So often we look around us and see only what we are lacking.
Perhaps Abraham and Sarah did the same thing. In Genesis 12 and 13, we learn that Abraham is very wealthy, with many livestock as well as many servants. He and Sarah were likely surrounded by people with families and children, but they had none of their own. They might have secretly labeled themselves as the ‘couple with no child.’ Despite their impatience and shortcuts, God was still faithful to His promise. After many years, He gave Abraham and Sarah their son, Isaac - a miracle.
After some time passed, God tested Abraham’s faith in a way that must have been absolutely heartbreaking. God asked Abraham to give up what was most precious to him: his only son. He asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering. Through faith, Abraham proceeded as the Lord commanded.
“So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men, and his son Isaac. [...] On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”
Abraham implies here that they will both return. He’d seen the Lord come through before, by fulfilling the promise of Isaac’s birth, and believed God would do so again. Hebrews 11:19 says, “He [Abraham] considered that God was able even to raise him [Isaac] from the dead…” Abraham was choosing to believe in and depend on God’s provision.
“And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”
He took his son Isaac up the mountain, bound him and laid him on the wood of the altar and prepared to kill him, still having faith that God would provide an alternative or raise Isaac from the dead. And He did.
“But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will Provide.”
In a most desperate hour, God provided a way out for Abraham and Isaac. And in our most desolate and hopeless of places, we can both expect and depend on the Lord to always provide for us.
Similarly, we, as the human race, were living in desolation and hopelessness before Christ came - the result of our fallen and sinful world. Sin isn’t just the bad things we do; sin is what separates us from direct access and relationship with God. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, that relationship has been restored - a miracle.
The story of Abraham and his son Isaac mirrors God the Father and His Son Jesus in a profound way.
Out of His great love for humanity, God the Father sent His only begotten son to the earth to teach us how to live and love. Ultimately, to save us from the power of sin, God the Father took the wood of the cross and laid it on Jesus His Son. He gave up what was most precious to Him. God the Father did not withhold His Son, His only Son, from us, but gave Him up as a sacrifice.
But why would He do this?
Because you are worth dying for - that is how valuable you are to God.
Then God raised Jesus from the dead, in order that we might die to our old selves and have the choice to live new lives in Him. God provided this opportunity, in the midst of our separation, our desolation, our lack, our depletion. And “now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
Because our past deeds and our past self are erased when we come into new life with Jesus, we are given a fresh start, a clean slate. We are not beholden to who we used to be. 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 says it like this: “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ.” The power and provision to truly change who we are, to be born again, lies in Christ and Christ alone.
If this message has touched your heart, and if you have not yet accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, I urge you not to wait. I can personally testify that it is the best decision I have ever made. Knowing Jesus is the greatest hope and provision we can have in this world, and salvation through Him is a free gift with no strings attached. All we have to do is receive it, and God will do the rest in us. Romans 10:9 gives us the requirements, which are simple: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”
If you simply say something along the lines of, “Lord Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross to save me from my sins. I acknowledge my sins and turn away from them. Come into my life. I receive You as my personal Lord and Savior. Help me to live for You. In Jesus’ name, Amen,” you can expect Him to answer - and provide.
Let’s Pray Together.Lord God, we pray that You help us to expect and depend on Your provision, not our depletion. You are always faithful to provide for us, whatever we need, and You have already provided the greatest blessing and gift through Your only Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Thank You for loving us so much, for valuing us so dearly, that You would lay down Your life for us. In Jesus’ Holy and matchless name we pray, Amen.
