Easter Week Reflections:
Jehovah Jireh: The God Who Provides
Hi Crashers,
Easter week is upon us, and we are probably all in a state of activity in preparation. If you are a part of a worship or creative team, chances are you are inundated with rehearsals and preparation - you are giving yourself to ensure others see “Easter” for what it is.
We have Wednesday night rehearsals at The Local (and can I be honest - it’s stunning - Reuben was rehearsing a small band and I have watched the videos I took close to 20 times today. We have been loading a cross, flowers and all kinds of wonder, and at the same time, we feel the tension of trying to strip it back, keep it simple, and let the story speak for itself. There is a magnitude in the story of Calvary that is rendering us speechless again, and I think it started as we unpacked the life of Abraham this year.
I wanted to share it with you today to invite you into the story from a different angle as you walk into Good Friday. May you sense the Lord near as you worship along with our Easter Playlists.
"Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" - John 1:29
Abraham must have felt the weight of the impossible as he and Isaac climbed Mount Moriah that day. The son of promise, the one through whom God’s covenant would continue, was now the one Abraham was being asked to surrender. Yet, when Isaac questioned him, “Dad, where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham responded with quiet faith: “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (Genesis 22:8)
Jehovah Jireh. The Lord Will Provide - God will see to it.
The Hebrew word Jireh comes from the root ra’ah, meaning “to see” or “to perceive.” God not only sees our needs, but He also provides for them in ways far beyond our understanding. And on that mountain, He did. A ram caught in the thicket took Isaac’s place. But this moment was more than just a test of faith; it was a foreshadowing of the greater provision to come.
Centuries later, theologians speculate another Father would lead His Son up this very same mountain, known by then not as Moriah but as Calvary. (How mind-blowing is that!!) But this time, no ram would be caught in the thicket in exchange, God Himself would be the sacrifice.
The covenant God made with Abraham was not one of mutual obligation. In Genesis 15, when God promised Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars, He put Abraham into a deep sleep. And then, in a vision, Abraham saw the presence of God moving alone between the sacrificed animals, binding God Himself to fulfil the covenant. God was saying: If this covenant is broken, let the penalty fall upon Me.
So when He asked Abraham for Isaac, it was not to demand what He Himself was not willing to give. It was to reveal what He would give. Isaac walked up Moriah with wood on his back. Jesus walked up Calvary with a wooden cross on His. Abraham was spared from giving his son. God was not.
This Easter, we stand in awe of Jehovah Jireh's faithfulness.
He is the God who sees, the God who provides, the God who keeps His covenant even at the cost of His own beloved Son. He is the one who takes care of it all. He takes care of our sin, our rebellion, and our hard hearts. The Lamb has been given. The price has been paid. And because of Him, we live.
Remember the God who will see to your needs this Easter with these worship fav’s: