YHWH-Yireh … Do You Believe It?

Hello Hump Day friends, I have a question about your definition of “provision” – what does it mean to you, where do your provisions come from, who is designated as your provider? For me, those of us who work provide for our families and others as well. However, I am often remiss in “who and where” those provisions come from—God!

As we see the swell of refugees coming into our country right now, it seems staggering in how little they have and how much they will need. Who will provide? How about those still struggling through the pandemic, jobs gone, finances gone, etc. My prayer is that the people of God step up to welcome and help and provide for so many who have been many year being deprived.

YHWH-Yireh, is one of God’s names this spelling from the Hebrew, plus Jehovah Jireh, another Hebrew name for God, but both mean the same, “Our Provider.” Some of you may remember Don Moen’s take on an old Jewish folk song, Jehovah Jireh. I love the lyrics: “Jehovah Jireh, my Provider, your strength is sufficient for me. Jehovah Jireh, my Provider His grace is sufficient for me. My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory, He will give His angels charge over me, Jehovah Jireh cares for me.”

Not a bad song to sing every morning when we rise and wonder (as many do these days) asking ourselves what food will I have for my family, how can I pay my medical bills, hope I can find a job today, etc. Perhaps, for some, they may feel God is not providing and yet, we know that isn’t true but in struggling it’s often hard to see it or believe it.

For me, one thing that I turn to as a reminder of God’s constant provisions, is where I am right now, what I am doing, and the ministry I love sharing. I reflect on that and my doubts melt away. Sometimes we need a daily focus when we think “the sky is falling.”

The American Painter, John Singer Sargent, is a good example. His “nomadic parents” hailed from Massachusetts but they never stayed in one place, so John grew up more in Europe than the U.S. His eye for art was incredible at a young age and he went on to be called the “leading portrait painter of his generation.” Royal families sought out his talent for family portraits. One of his most beautiful paintings, however, was a panel of roses, not a large painting but the art world said it was the “closest to perfection” of any artist in his time. People begged to buy the painting but he stubbornly refused to sell it—it would have fetched a hefty price-tag.

A close friend and art curator, after begging for months to sell it, finally asked him why he wouldn’t sell it. Sargent said, “for me this represented my finest work and in those when I am discouraged and doubt my own talent, I can look at my painting and remind myself that I DID THAT! And yes, the talent of painting was a gift from God that I can always rely on.”

I love the legacy boxes that many make for their families. In there are so many things that tell the story of God’s provision in their lives. They can look at the contents, their kids and grandkids can look at it and see how God provided for their family’s generations in the past and how God will continue in their future.

Our spiritual life is so much like John Sargent—like a see-saw we’re up one day, and then down another wondering where God is. It’s like the old story of the couple who when first married sat close together in the car all the time; eventually close became distant until one day his wife said, “we’re not sitting close to each other anymore” and he answered, “I’m not the one who moved.” God doesn’t move from us either. God’s provision for all that we need (not want we always want!) doesn’t end. And often God uses us to share those provisions by providing for others. When we take the time to remember all those blessings, we can’t help but be filled with joy, with gratitude and perhaps even an “up-tick” in our confidence in God’s provisions that are always perfect and right on time.

Going back to that song, those words “My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory” come straight from God’s Word – that Bible we have where everything in there reminds us of God’s provision for his people. And who better to pen those words than the Apostle Paul, beaten and jailed, Paul never doubted God’s provision for his life. He shared this in his letter to the Philippians (4:18a-19 TPT):

I now have all I need—more than enough—I’m abundantly satisfied!
I am convinced that my God will fully satisfy every need you have,
for I have seen the abundant riches of glory
revealed to me through Jesus Christ!
And God our Father will receive all the glory
and the honor throughout the eternity of eternities! Amen!