When Things Don't Go the Way You ExpectSample

The Lord Will Provide

When God has a plan, He’s never worried about the outcome, even when it’s not happening the way we expected. God sees ahead and provides, which simply means that He has prepared every detail in advance.

Here’s an example: in Genesis 22 God asked Abraham to offer his beloved son, Isaac, on the altar of sacrifice. Abraham quickly obeyed and took his son three days away to Mount Moriah, where he fully intended to kill him. Abraham believed that if Isaac died, God could raise the boy from the dead to fulfill His promise.

As Abraham was poised to plunge a knife into Isaac, the Lord stopped him and said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (v. 12).

Then Abraham saw a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So he offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And the Bible says that Abraham named the place Jehovah Jireh, which is the first place in the Bible where God is called by that name. The name means “the God who provides.” It could even be interpreted as “the God who sees ahead and provides.”

Think about it. No doubt there were closer mountains than three days away – if I was Abraham, I might have said, “Lord, can’t I just go over there to Mount Closer-to-Home and make the sacrifice?”

But God had a plan and a provision. He arranged for that ram to appear on Mount Moriah at the exact moment when Abraham would need it. If Abraham had pleaded for a more convenient mountain, he might have missed his provision.

Be careful that you follow God’s leading closely—because where He guides, He provides. You don’t want to be in the wrong place at the wrong time with your provision waiting for you somewhere else.

Abraham obeyed, so while he was heading up one side of Mount Moriah, the ram was heading up the other side. God saw ahead to what Abraham would need, and He provided it.

God has done the same for you! He’s seen ahead in your situation – even ahead of what you didn’t expect -- and is providing exactly what you need.