Jehovah Jireh

lately, i've been contemplating on a sermon i heard a couple of weeks ago. the pastor at new covenant church in nelspruit was depicting God as the ultimate Provider, drawing his main points from 1 kings 17:1-16. the passage tells of God's provision during elijah's travels, how God provides food through unlikely means -- ravens and a widow in zarephath who essentially has very little to give.

points that the pastor makes:

(1) who is your true source of provision?

the israelites suffer through a drought during ahab's reign, and many choose to worship baal for provision. the name, baal, means lord (lower-cased l), and he represents the false god of fertility. on the other hand, "elijah" means "He is God" or "the Lord is God," the name emphasizing that our God is the true God. our lives must focus on that fact and that God alone is our source. don't be lured by the things of this world, the pastor says. we can subtly allow these things to creep into our lives and believe that they will somehow bless us. but God has a kingdom that cannot be shaken. know this in your heart.

(2) God always has a channel. it doesn't matter how tough situations are, God will make a way of getting His supply to you. God allows for the channel to go dry sometimes, but He finds another channel for you.

we must also be careful that we don't despise the channels. ravens were considered unclean birds in the eyes of the israelites, but God wanted to use even those creatures to provide, while other people were worshipping baal for food and rain. rejoice, and take the channel.

every believer has been called to be a channel of blessings to others so that God's blessings can flow through us freely. the widow could've held onto the bread, but God blessed the channel far more because she had become a channel. it's easy to be a channel if you know that God is your source, not the flour jar; you can give it away easily.

(3) God's provision is very often not given in a big deposit. why didn't God just pour down bread and meat for elijah? it's God's strategy so that we can learn that God is our constant source. we get so anxious about tomorrow, but even in matthew 6, Jesus prays to God, "give us this day our daily bread." you don't have the grace to cope with tomorrow's worries today. God gives grace for today, and you trust God for tomorrow.

Haggai 1:9 says, "you looked for much, and behold, it came to little. and when you brought it home, I blew it away..."

God provides as He gives, not as we hold. He didn't fill up the jar first: only after the widow scooped out of the jar, God filled it up. when times are tough, we tend to hold, but God tells us to give.

our part, then, is to:

(1) put God first. we have this image of Christ knocking on the door of our hearts. we let Him in, but we don't realize that He comes through the door with His crown on. we tend to say to Christ, "in my house, i wear my own crown. leave your crown outside;" we only go so far as to view Christ as our ticket to heaven. but we must understand that Jesus comes into our lives with His crown on, and He comes in to reign. as the widow had done, we must first give up what we have in order for God to open a channel. we have to seek first His kingdom, not His blessings.

(2) we must be radically obedient to the Word of God.

(3) trust God. luke 12:24 says, "consider the ravens; they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. of how much more value are you than birds?" God feeds the ravens and allows the lilies in the fields to grow; then surely, God will look after us. He is pleased to do that.

by following these things, we will ultimately be a testimony to this world. when the world's economy goes down as it is right now, we will not be shaken because we know that our God is the true God and He alone is our provider.

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this essentially has been a summary of my convoluted notes from the message. and although it's already been two weeks since hearing the sermon, there is still so much to chew, digest, and understand. many times, i want to communicate these things to the people in the community, but many more times, i can't seem to find a place to start or even find the right words to explain.

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most appropriately, though, in remembrance of God's provision, the hands community will be celebrating thanksgiving tonight.

Canadian thanksgiving.