Provision….
That is a loaded word. If there is any circumstance that I need to learn contentment in, it usually boils down to a lack of trust in God's provision. I am either praying for it or praising God for it, but what does it mean to truly rest in the concept that the Lord WILL provide? He promises to provide for us and he works everything out for our good; it is in his character.
I have been reading through Isaiah lately, and I can not seem to get this verse off of my mind. Isaiah moves from the Lord's judgment to His salvation. You get hints of His fire and glory and perfect, awesome power as you read through each chapter. Isaiah 4:5-6 is a promise to the Lord's people:
"Then the Lord will create over all Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and a shade from the heat of day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain."
Ok there is a lot there. A lot of symbolism and perhaps scenes from "Lost" pop into your head with the cloud of smoke reference (yeah, irrelevant I know 🙂 ) but let this one rest on you. When the Israelites were brought out of Egypt and into the desert, God guided them by a pillar of cloud and of fire. This is the Lord's provision and comfort. He is the guiding force. The one who tells us to turn from the left or to the right. When we truly rest in the Lord, when we come to the foot of the cross, when we enter into his shelter at the base of the mountain we have nothing to fear. His glory is overwhelming. He is our hide-out from the storm of life that rages so violently. AND over all this glory is a canopy. We are covered. We are underneath the umbrella with the glory of God. He is not outside holding his provision over us, He is in there WITH us. He is saying "Look I have provided and I get to be in this with you." In Matthew 8:23 Jesus is IN the boat with his disciples as the storm rages. He says, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Its like being inside your house afraid of getting wet from the storm outside. He's got you!
Two weeks ago, as I was in a peak of doubt in trusting that the Lord would provide for me, my back windshield shattered as I was driving. I don't mean cracked. I mean shattered. My friend in the backseat thought he was being shot at as glass showered over him. Funny way of showing provision Lord! Normally car troubles are counter productive to my bank account. Want to know the odd thing? We have a persistant God who will do anything do show you that He does richly provide. I realized how many incredible friends I had, as they dropped everything to work around my schedule and drive me to where I needed to be that week. Through the Lord's circumstances, I ended up having my meals taken care of, and my windshield got fixed. We do not realize how much our God truly does provide until we are in a situation in which we have no other options. He has so much for us, but more often than not, we find away to do it ourselves so we miss out in the joy of his gifts! How disappointing is it when you buy a useful gift for someone, only to discover that they have gone out and purchased the exact same item for themselves?
Isaiah 30:18 says, "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him."
He is so good. Rely on Him. Rest in Him. Ask Him to open your eyes to His provision. He delights in giving all necessities to his children, all we need is eyes to see.
