JEHOVAH-JIREH     Sometimes when I read the Bible, my mind goes off thinking about a word or phrase in the passage while my eyes keep right on going. At times, my eyes will arrive at the end of a paragraph but my mind will still be contemplating a concept much earlier in the passage.   Which leads me to wonder, have you ever carefully read Genesis 22:14?   "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."     "The LORD Will Provide" comes from the Hebrew JEHOVAH-JIREH. Abraham used this name of God on Mt. Moriah when he was stopped from offering Isaac as a sacrifice. The Great Provider supplied the ram in the thicket as a substitute for Isaac. God truly is supplier of all our needs.   When we came home from Portugal as missionaries, we were devastated to learn that because of Chase's post traumatic stress disorder and his struggle for language, we would not be able to return. By that time, Portugal felt more like home than did Dallas. But our greatest sense of devastation came as we wrestled with our calling to missions. Though we learned much through that experience, the most focused lesson God seemed to be trying to drive home was that He was not so concerned with what we did for Him; His primary concern is who we are with Him. That was such a comfort to me because I so wanted to continue doing foreign missions; He wanted me to walk deeply with Him no matter what "job" I did for Him.   It seems that in all my heavy times, God teaches me many things but has a primary lesson as the focal point of the trial. Over the years, I've learned many truths about the Father, but the lesson He seems to be driving home is that of His faithfulness. And even more, He seems to be trying to get me to the place where my understanding of His unfailing faithfulness leads to a complete and deep trust that doesn't waiver, doesn't wonder, and doesn't question whether or not God's going to provide for us this month.   I'm sure Abraham knew in his head that God could provide if He wanted to, but did he trust in his heart that God would? I think he did. That complete trust is seen in the fact that he didn't question God or argue with God or offer alternatives. He just loaded Isaac down with the wood on which he'd be sacrificed, walked with him up the mountain, and told Isaac that the Lord would provide the sacrifice. Even as he was tying his son to the altar, Abraham gave a reassuring look to his son. He was trusting completely in the Lord. We know this because Isaac didn't try to fight it; he didn't hit or kick or scream or try to crawl off the altar. He just stayed there. We don't know if Isaac had the same, deep trust in God his dad had, but his willingness to stay reveals that he at least trusted in his dad's trust in God…and that's something; that's a start.   But God doesn't want my trust in Him to be just a start. He doesn't want me to trust in my wife's trust in God, or my mom's, or my pastor's, or my mentor's. That's a secondary trust. No, He wants me to know Him so deeply that I trust Him primarily, personally, and completely on my own…whether or not the other people in my life are trusting Him.   That's what He's been working on with me these past few months. And just when I think I've got it, He'll test me. I'll know in my head that God is my JEHOVAH-JIREH, that He's going to provide, and that I have innumerable past examples of His provision as proof that He'll come through again; but there are times when I allow that sense of wonder to creep in and I find myself "wondering" if He's going to supply my current needs.   I haven't arrived, I'm still growing and learning, but I believe I'm getting close to learning this lesson. You may be wondering why it's taking me so long. Well there are three things with which I'm coming to terms.   First, it's His reputation at stake, not mine. He is my Father, He's promised to provide, and if He doesn't (which I know won't happen), it would be His reputation as Provider that suffers. I've got to stop worrying about my reputation and just rest in Him.   Second, my manhood sometimes gets in the way. Our culture has taught me to believe that I am the bread winner, the provider for my family; that without my working, slaving at a job, and "bringin' home the bacon", my family will not make it. But our God has taught me that He is the Provider, not me; that He supplies all our needs in Christ Jesus and that if I'd hurry up and learn this lesson, we could move on to the next one.   Third, I've got to cooperate with Him. It's not going to do a whole lot of good for God to attempt to teach me these great eternal truths about Himself if I'm not cooperating. I've got to walk in sync with Him, to be careful not to fight against Him, and to discipline myself to cooperate with the Spirit in the learning process.   Sometimes, I'm a slow learner. Are you? What is our Father trying to teach you today? Are you cooperating with Him or is He dragging you kicking and screaming from one lesson to the next? Perhaps our theme verse for this week can be Proverbs 3:5-6:     "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths."     I'll claim it. Will you?         Copyright © 2011. Faith Matters by Dr. Ken Lovelace. All rights reserved.