Tag: God’s provision
911 Video Highlight Week 17–Dane M.
Scripture reading for April 25: Isaiah 43:19 “Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Provision in ‘dry’ times!
Scripture reading for April 6: 1st Kings 17-19
In 1975, our family went through a drought on the farm. It rained early in the year, but then quit after the crops were in. June and July had almost no rain and the corn grew and tasseled, but did not produce silks. Ears formed but no kernels were on the cobs. It looked very bleak for feeding our animals and paying the bills. The soybeans were shorter than usual, but it rained in August when they were blooming and they produced a good crop. God provided for us in the drought that year! Praise the Lord!
1 Kings 17:1 “Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, before Whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.”
Elijah announced to King Ahab that no rain or dew would fall from the sky except at his word for the next few years. He then left in obedience to the Lord, trusting God for His promised provision. God commanded ravens to feed him by the brook in the Cherith ravine. After a rainless few weeks, the brook dried up and God sent Elijah to a widow’s house in Zarephath. This widow was so poor that she was gathering sticks to cook her son a last meal from a nearly empty jar of flour and oil. Elijah asked her to bring him a little water and a piece of bread. He encouraged her not to fear, that God would provide for her until the rains came again. She obeyed and God provided meals for nearly three years from that empty flour bin and oil jar. “Give and it will be given to you, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)
The times we live in are also dry in many ways. Our economy is very weak and many are hurting financially. God’s judgment has fallen on our country that has turned to idols. In times like this, we must listen to the Word of the Lord! It is imperative that each person hears the instructions God has for them. We must always give to God first and God will provide for us. The widow was taken care of during the drought because she took care of the prophet. Dry times need not be a problem if we walk with God!
Are you going through dry times in your own life? Have you sought God for His instructions to meet the needs you have? Are you willing to give your little to God first to see a miracle of multiplication?
Isaac, farmer and well-digger!
Scripture reading for January 11th: Genesis 25-26
On our farm in Iowa, we had a dug well that was 110 feet deep. (Not a drilled well!) This well was about 4 feet across and my father and his dad and brothers had helped dig this well and brick it up. Occasionally, we would set up a tower with a rope and a basket and my dad would be lowered into the well to check the bricks and eliminate roots that were growing in through the wall. It always amazed me that Dad said he could see the stars from the bottom of that well in broad daylight.
Because of a famine, Isaac camped in the Valley of Gerar in the land of the Philistines and reopened the wells of his father Abraham. Wells were important for several reasons. The provided precious water in the desert that enabled crops, animals and humans to have refreshing and life. They provided a gathering place for communities to get this water daily for their use. (Jesus met the woman at the well in John chapter 4.) Wells also provided a means to increase a family’s wealth and provide for offspring.
The wells were also a source of quarreling in Isaac’s day. Rather than fight over the wells, Isaac went to another location and dug a new well. As Isaac obeyed, God opened new wells for him and gave him amazing promises. “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and increase the number of your descendants for the sake of your father Abraham.” Genesis 26:24-5)
The lesson for us is to dig for water wherever we are planted. We dig by going to Jesus and asking daily for His will and provision. When you dig a well and the hole is deep, look up and see the stars and remember God’s promise to Abraham and Isaac! May we, like Isaac, leave a legacy of wells of refreshing and blessing everywhere we go! May we re-dig the wells of our godly fathers!
“Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there.” Genesis 26:19
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14
Clothed in Majesty and Splendor
Scripture reading for June 24th: Psalms 104-106
“Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are very great; You are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps Himself in light as with a garment. . .” (Psalm 104:1-2a)
In Psalm 104, the psalmist begins to worship the Lord of creation for who He is. This psalm mirrors the creation account of Genesis 1 and by careful observation one can find references to all 7 days. The creation declares the glory and majesty of the Creator. (Psalm 19) God not only wrapped Himself in light, but He stretched out the heavens like a tent. Light marks the sky by day and night and God sets the times and seasons using their consistent motions.
God also formed the earth and it’s atmosphere, making it a place fit for life, and filled it with all forms of life. The waters of the sea, as well as the land, teem with every kind of creature! Each creature looks to God for it’s life and provision. (Psalm 104:27) God faithfully supplies for each one and they are satisfied. When God takes away their breath, they die and return to the dust. When God sends His Spirit, they are renewed! Contemplation of the cycles of life brings one who is conscious of God to worship!
God provides for man especially. He brings forth “wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart.” (Psalm 104:15) This verse struck me as more than just physical provisions, although the earth surely brings forth plenteous provision for mankind. The wine speaks of the blood of Jesus Christ, which is able to purify the heart of man and make him eternally glad! The oil speaks of the precious gift of the Holy Spirit which is the down payment of heaven, God living in us and revealing His glory through the Spirit’s abiding presence. The bread represents the body of Jesus Christ, broken for us. If any man eat this bread, he will live forever! Praise the Lord for His wonderful provision!
The psalmist concludes his worship poem with these lines: “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in His works. . .I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. May my meditation be pleasing to Him as I rejoice in the Lord.” (Psalm 104:31,33-34)