Jehovah Jireh Chapter 5 part 5 Essay Why are our prayers not answered?

November 3, 2011 at 1:19 pm (Uncategorized)
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5

 

Summary of conditions to be met for prayer to be answered

 

As we study God’s word, we see how He has provided in a myriad of circumstances,
sometimes with miracles as with Elisha and the widow, sometimes with circumstances as with Esther, and answers to our problems seem distant and farfetched.  We wonder how we can access His provision for
ourselves in a personal way. First let me say that I believe prayers are answered in a mighty way, just not always the way we would wish at the time we pray.

I want to summarize the conditions for answered prayer.  Do I believe that all of these conditions
must be met for prayer to be answered? No, I do not.

5 And Jehovah descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of Jehovah.
6 And Jehovah passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth,
Exodus 34:5-6

God is merciful, full of love, mercy and compassion on his creation.  And that is the reason He answers prayer. He is God and does things just because He wants to.  For He saith to Moses, I will have mercy
on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. Romans
9:15

Do I believe that we can motivate God to act on our behalf?  Ask Daniel whose persistent prayers caused a
powerful angel of God to fight the demons of darkness for 21 days in order to visit Daniel personally with answers to his questions. Daniel 10

Persistent prayers do get God’s attention, but thank God He most often acts from a completely “God motivation!”  We can read the Bible, pray, go to church, tithe as the Bible commands, serve and love others, worship, but it does not appear that any of those things by themselves can motivate God to act on our
behalf.  God is motivated by His love for us.  Not our actions, not our love for Him, but His love for us.  We do not get answered prayer because we have been good. Our good behavior is not what brings us blessings because our
righteousness is only a filthy rag in His sight.

For we are all become as one that is unclean, and all our righteousness are as a polluted garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Isaiah 6:5

That is what redemption is all about.  Thank God my prayers are seen in the light of Christ and what He did on the cross and not on my own merit, because I could not expect any recognition based on that.  Our God is the only true God.  He could not be conceived by human imagination.  Man would dare to create a God that would respond on the basis of merit. But the true God responds because He does not see us as black or white,
good or not so good.  He makes no distinctions and His blessing flow to the righteous and the unrighteous.

 ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.”But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous.For if
you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax-collectors do the same? Matthew 5:43-46 

That being said, there are indications in Scripture that we can hinder our prayer efforts by certain behaviors.

The first prayer God answers is the sinner’s prayer of repentance.  Each of us must walk that path of deep remorse for our sins and the desire to be forgiven. We must have a deep rooted desire to turn from our sins and follow the  way Jesus sets before us.  We must acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God.  God spoke at Jesus’ baptism: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased”  Matthew  3:17

He was born of a virgin. “. . . ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found  favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. . . . of his kingdom there will be no end.’ And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’ And the angel answered her,  ” The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of  God” Luke 1:30-35.

He lived a sinless life in human form.  Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  15 For we have not a high priest  that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews  4:14-16
21 Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we
might become the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

We must understand that it was our own vile nature of sin that nailed a  compassionate willing Jesus to the cross in our own place.   “And  by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all” Hebrews  10:10.

We must be convinced that Jesus lay in the embrace of death for three days in a dark borrowed tomb and that He routed death forever when He rose on the third day.
because if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus as Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him
from the dead, thou shalt be saved: Romans 10:9.

No longer does man have to be separated from the gracious presence of God  Scripture.  We can face God dressed in the glorious robe of Christ, not because of anything we have done, but because of what Jesus did for us.

21 Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we
might become the righteousness of God in him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

Before you pray, Seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.
Matthew 6:33   What are all “these things”?   19 And  m God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Since Jesus is the author of all things physically and Spiritually, I take Him at His word.  How do I see His Kingdom?  (Luke 17: 20-21)  Jesus told the Pharisees the Kingdom of God was within them.  A  better translation might be “among you”.
Jesus is a representative of the Kingdom of God.  In Psalms 145:10-13 it says, “All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee, They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power. To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.
Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations”.  The
LORDS prayer says Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Jesus is the Kingdom that is coming.

We are praying for His return.  We are to seek Him with reading and obedience to His teaching, prayer study, church attendance, giving, tithe, caring for others, and loving others.

Before you petition God, sincerely,  contritely, and fervently, ask for forgiveness of your sins.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. l John 1-9

If  we are forgiven when we become saved, why do we need to continue to ask for forgiveness.  I found this quote from  Pairtach. Puritanboard postgraduate, Puritan Board Forum that says it far better than I can.

‘“. Justification doesn’t mean :-

(a ) That God is not in some sense displeased when we sin (e.g. II Sam. 11:27)
(b) That we can stop confessing our sins and seeking renewed forgiveness,
cleansing, repentance and new obedience. (e.g. John 13:10) throughout our
lives.
(c) That so-called “little sins” can’t turn into “big sins” that can be
disastrous for our profession of faith and also our lives, and therefore they
need to be nipped in the bud. (e.g. I Corinthians 5:6).
(d) That – although God will never take His Holy Spirit from dwelling in a
justified sinner – He can and may remove His felt presence, usually because of
sin.(e.g. Psalm 51:11)
(e) That we may be chastised by God for various sins (e.g. Heb. 12:7) by
various troubles, or we may experience trouble from God’s hand, not because of
any particular sin(s) but to improve the quality of our faith, love and hope
and hone us to further perfection and maturity, like already pure gold being
purified further (e.g. Job 1:1; 40: 3-5; 42:5-6).
(f) That we may not sometimes or often lack assurance that we justified,
adopted and are being sanctified.”

Before you ask for God to prosper you, be sure you are observing and doing all of His commandments to the best of your ability.  Deuteronomy 28:1-68 lists the many blessing available to those who observe and are obedient to His wishes.

When you ask for God to guide and teach  you, be sure you are open to God.  When you ask Him to instruct you in His ways, ask in absolute awe and reverence, totally convinced that His laws are the only way to live.

10 All  the paths of Jehovah are loving kindness and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies.  Psalm 25:10

If you truly want God to plan your life and delight in your path, then follow the path He has planned for you.

 Do not trust yourself, your own wisdom or understanding to plot a course to follow.  Psalm 37:23

Study the Scripture to know what God’s word says about How to live and be convinced that His way is the only true way.

If you want to have peace without fear of evil, then listen to God’s voice as He lovingly whispers in your ear as you
study as you go about your daily life, as you pray.  

18 And therefore will Jehovah wait, that he may be gracious unto you; and therefore will be be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for Jehovah is a God of justice; blessed are all they that wait for him.
19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem; thou shalt weep no more; he will surely be gracious unto
thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear, he will answer thee.
20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be
hidden anymore, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers;
21 and thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk
ye in it; when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:18-21

If you want to have immediate access to Him, then abide in the vine and be not cut from it. “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in
Me. John 15:4  Be connected!

If you want your prayers answered do not pray with wrong, selfish or evil motives. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures. James 4:3

If you want your prayers answered make sure that you are honoring your husband or wife, because God says your prayers are hindered if you are not doing that. I included the wife in this because I believe it to be inferred in the
previous scripture

Ye husbands, in like manner, dwell with your wives according to  knowledge, giving honor unto the woman, as unto the weaker vessel, as being  also  joint-heirs of the grace of life; to the end that your prayers be not
hindered.  I Peter 3:7
If you want answered prayer, ask in His name, not just orally, but making sure your request is one He would make if He were the one praying.  That is what asking in His name means. “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. “Whatever you ask in My  name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. “If you
ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.  John 14:12-14

When you pray, be sure that what you are asking is within His will…speak what God’s word says when you
pray. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. This is His commandment, that  we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as
He commanded us.  The one who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.   I John 3:21-24

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His
will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.1 John 5:13-15

Remember what He has done for you when you pray.
 
8 Jehovah is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness. 9 He will not always chide; Neither will he keep his anger forever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins, or rewarded us after our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is his loving kindness toward
them that fear him. 12 As far as the east is from the west, So far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 13 Like as a father pitieth his children, So  Jehovah pitieth them that fear him. His loving kindness is reserved for
those who reverence Him.  He has mercy on  those who fear Him and hold Him in awe and glorify Him for what He has done.  Psalm 103:8-13

When you go to Him in prayer, Go to Him trusting what He has told you in His word.  Remember that He is your refuge and your fortress.  Psalm 91:1-16

I wish I could tell you that if you will enlarge you ideas of what God can do, or that a prayer of confession and belief will prick God into acting on your behalf, providing you with health, happiness, and financial abundance.
We know of too many people, who are good and faithful Christians, who suffer physically and emotionally.  People who lose their jobs through no fault of their own; people who suffer tragedy and loss or who suffer with seemingly insurmountable health issues who do not see their situations get better.  Bad things do happen to Christians.

Why does it have to be this way?

 We have to begin with this fact.  It is not about me!  It is about God!  It is not about you!  It is about God.

 for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him;    Colossians 1:16

The Message says it this way.  For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible,…everything got started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.  It is God who directs your life.  The life of every creature is in His power.  “He’s got the whole world  in his hands” is not just a Kumbayah song, but a great spiritual truth.  You were made by God and for Him.  Until you establish that fact in your mind, nothing makes any sense.  Bertrand Russell was an atheist who said, “Unless you assume a God, the question of ife’s purpose is meaningless?
All things happen for His glory. As the cattle that go down into the valley, the Spirit of Jehovah caused them to rest; so didst thou lead thy people, to make thyself a glorious name. …Isaiah 63:14

He created you and life is about whether you are going to let God use you for His purposes or not.  His purpose for you was declared before your creation and you had “0” input, but what you do about your purpose is your decision.

 And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, and ye may prove what is  the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

There is a much larger purpose that is part of an eternal plan designed by God.  That ought to make us feel great.  It is more than getting up in the morning, brushing our teeth, eating breakfast, going to work, eating lunch, going home, eating supper, washing out our socks, brushing our teeth and going to bed.

God’s will is always for the good of the Saints.  

And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, even to them
that are called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

When we pray, we do not know the whole picture.  What we ask for may not be for the good of the Saints.  We have to be sure we understand what God  wants or at least accept His unknown purpose in the matter is preparing you for eternity.
We can acknowledge him in prosperity.  But thou shalt remember Jehovah thy God, for it is he
that giveth thee power to get wealth; that he may establish his covenant which
he sware unto thy fathers, as at this day.   Deuteronomy 8:18
We can acknowledge him in adversity, and he said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: Jehovah gave, and Jehovah hath taken away; blessed be the name of Jehovah.  Job 1:21
We can acknowledge Him In public calamity.  Shall the trumpet be  blown in a city, and the people not be afraid? shall evil befall a city, and  Jehovah hath not done it? Amos 3:6
 Acknowledge him in  daily support. And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who hath fed me all my life long unto this day, Genesis 48:15

Acknowledge Him in all things. In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths.  Proverbs 3:6
We can depend on Him to teach us ways to persevere through guidance and direction. God leads us to new sources of life or new resources for help.  We can depend on Him to teach us to see hope in situations and circumstances when  there seems to be no way out.  He provides just enough to toughen us, to enable us to go on in our everyday life, to take one step after another in the most difficult of circumstances

Remember, God says yes to prayers.  He also says no, and He sometimes says not yet because He needs time to refine you and your prayer to conform to His will.

I want to end with these two verses of great comfort regarding prayer and God’s promises.

7 casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for you. I Peter 5:7

God does not love you because you are good, but because He is good.

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.  Isaiah 46:4

He will sustain us, rescue us, love us all of our lives because He is God and that is His goal, His aim, and
it is what He has purposed Himself to do…because He first loved us!

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Chapter 5 Jehovah Jireh… Ask and You Shall Receive? Part 5

October 20, 2011 at 2:44 pm (Uncategorized)
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How does God want us to petition for our desires and needs in prayer?

As we study God’s word, we see how He has provided in a myriad of circumstances,  sometimes with miracles as with Elisha and the widow, sometimes with circumstances as with Esther, and yet the answers to our problems seem distant and farfetched. We wonder how we can access His provision for ourselves in a personal way.
We can see that God makes provision for us in mighty and small ways. Does He make the provision and then walk off to enjoy the heavenliest without further thought of us? Does He want us to pray? Here are some passages of Scripture where we should be able to see that God wants us to pray and He wants to answer those prayers. I know this is a lot of Scripture to look at and explore, but this study is not meant to be a shallow reading of the word. We are seeking answers to our problems. We are trying to fill the emptiness in our hearts that only the understanding of the word of God will fill.  So just take it as you have time and don’t worry about finishing every question at one sitting.

Matthew 7:7
Just ask for it, just seek…and it will be given.  That is what it says.  Just what are we to seek for?  What are we to ask for?  In order to understand this verse, we need to read the verse before it. Matthew 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you. We meet many people in the course of our lives. Some of them are vicious in their response to the teachings of the gospel. We need Spiritual discernment to deal with these people; discernment that only results from prayer. Nor can we keep the teachings of the Bible without power from above. In these verses we are given the invitation to ask, seek, and knock, and to keep on doing it. The wisdom and power the Christian
needs for living the kind of life required of him comes only when we have sought for it, and persistently and fervently prayed for it.

  1. Think about how you have previously interpreted this verse. Do you have a different perspective? From these verses, what should we be praying for?

Read Matthew 18:19, This verse is talking about church matters the pattern for conduct in the church.
Again we have to search the Scriptures above this one, in context to ascertain its meaning. Does He really mean He will give us anything we ask for if there are two or more of us in agreement? Yes, but…

2. What are the conditions found regarding this verse? This means He will hear and answer any request that Christ Himself would make. In His name means asking for something that is within His will.

Read  Matthew 21:22   Does He mean anything we want? Yes, if it meets all the conditions listed in the
Bible. There is a condition listed in this verse.

3. What is the condition in this verse? To further clarify the meaning,
read the verse above, Matthew 21:21. You must believe that God can and will move in a miraculous way.

Read  Mark 11:24  Can we really move mountains? We can, but why would you want to. They are beautiful where they are. We need to pray for power to move the daily mountains of worry, problems, and weakness of Spirit. We need to pray to be strengthened in our Spirit that we might have the power to pray in ways that will change the world, not that our own selfish desires might be met, but praying that we might have the faith that will allow God to do His will in our lives.

4. Do you really pray for God’s will in your life, or do you pray for specific desires to be met? When you ask for God to give you something, regardless of what it is or its importance to you at the time, are you really willing to ask for God’s will to be done? Write the line in the LORD’s prayer regarding God’s will.

Read  Luke 11:13   Again, we do not always see what this verse is really saying.

5. What does this verse say that God wants to give us? At this time, the Disciples were beginning to understand how difficult it was going to be to be a true disciple of Christ. They did not have the Holy Spirit. We receive the Holy Spirit when we are converted. We need to pray that the gifts of the Holy Spirit be manifested in us; that we might have the power of His ministrations in our lives.

Read John 14:13-14  We read this verse with great enthusiasm. All I need to do is ask for something in Jesus name and I will get it. We need to read further. John 14:15 tells us the requirement of the above verse.

6. What is the requirement? Ah Shucks, there it is again, the but… We must stand in His place, and pray as He would pray. We present our prayers knowing it is through His merit, through what He has done, and it must
be truly for His glory that we pray. The promise that the prayer will be aswered is only to those who love HIm and who obey Him. The evidence of our love for Him is our keeping the commandments.

Read  John 16:23   Can we just put the name of Jesus on the end of our prayers and expect it to be
answered? No, we have already seen some of the requirements and we will discuss them more fully at the end of this study. In this verse He is talking to the disciples of the time when He would no longer be with them. They would need to pray to the father in His name so He could intercede for them. When we pray in
His name we are to be praying as He would pray. Because we are to become like Him our prayers will become less selfish, less worldly, less self consuming. He is at the right hand of the father as ourintercessor; answering every prayer that was asked in His name, praying as He would pray. The prayers will be answered because Jesus is worthy and we are not. That is why it must be asked in His name.

Read  Romans 10:12,13   God is rich to all who call upon Him. Is He talking about riches of the world?

Read Romans 10:9-11

7. What gift is Paul talking about in these verses? It is available to all who call upon Jesus.

Read I John 5:14-15,

8 . Read 1 John 5:13 to see why we can come before God with boldness in our prayer petitions? Write it here.

9.  Read James 4:3  What does Paul say is the reason our prayers are not answered.  The Message says we ask as spoiled children. The amplified version leaves no doubt as to the meaning of this
Scripture  3[Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive,
because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is
[when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures.  Our motives forsaking should be pure,
unselfish, and in accordance with God’s will.

We have seen some of the instructions God has given us to insure that our prayers are answered. Let’s explore them further. We are not promised that every prayer will be answered. All of our whims, wants and desires are not going to be answered.

Read John 9:31

10. First write down who God does not hear, then write who God does hear. The most important and
obvious prohibition is that God hears only one prayer from a lost man. He must first recognize he is a sinner and ask for forgiveness. He must receive Christ as His Savior. Those who reject God do not have the ear of God. We must have faith or belief in God, unwavering faith that He can, that He wants to, that He will care for you.

Read Hebrews 11:6

11. What makes it impossible to please God? What must we have when we come to God?

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Answers: Chapter 5 Part 4 How to Access the Provision of Jehovah Jireh

October 13, 2011 at 12:42 pm (Uncategorized)
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Answers:  Chapter  5 Part 4  How to Access the Provision of Jehovah Jireh

That He might prove them to see if they would be obedient

  1. They were commanded not to keep the manna overnight, but some did and it bred worms and stank.  They were told to gather  enough the day before Sabbath to take care of both days.  Some did not and had to do without.
  2. All  our needs. I take Him at His word.  All my needs will be met.
  3. Seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness first.
  4. They helped him at the beginning of His ministry and when he was in prison.
  5. Forgives our iniquities and heals diseases
  6. While we were sinners
  7. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of Gd.
  8. We cannot be justified by our own efforts to obey the Law of Moses.
  9. Believe on the name of the Son of God
  10. Not of works, not of ourselves…by grace through faith
  11. As partakers of the Divine nature of God, we escape the corruption of the world.
  12. The hope we have in Jesus Christ
  13. Believe that Jesus died and rose again.  Knowing that God raised Jesus and has
    promised to raise us also.
  14. We are crucified with Him, buried with Him.
    We are participants in His death.
    “We are raised to experience a new life in our spirit and we join in His
    resurrection as we identify with Christ in His resurrection.  We can and should walk in Newness of
    life.”  McDonald’s Believers Bible Commentary
  15. He preserves us forever
  16. A.  see essay for mine
    B.  The LORD is my shepherd, I
    shall not want.  Psalm 23:1
  17. A.  Under His wings

B. His truth
19.   Deliverance from sin and cleansing from unrighteousness

20.  snares, pestilence, fear, broken heart, deliverance of the captives, liberty to the bruised, troubles, terror, law of sin and death, truth makes us free, distress, trials, enemies, illness, sins
21.  To humble them, to prove them, or test them to see if they would be obedient

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Jehovah Jireh…How to access the provision of God Chapter 5 Part 4

October 13, 2011 at 12:14 pm (Uncategorized)
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Jehovah Jireh… How to Access the
provision of God Chapter 5 Part 4

*Note:  This is meant to be an in-depth search of the scripture to determine what the Bible
says about His provision and our part in it.  Please do not struggle through the entire study in one time period.  I have it divided out, but feel free to answer one or two questions at a time and reflect on them.  Some of us are too busy to undertake an in depth Bible study, so we settle for short devotionals every day.  I am writing this for those who desire meat, but have little time.  You can take as much as you want each day.

God provided for the children of Israel when they wandered in the desert. They were not always obedient, loving, trusting of grateful, but God provided for their daily need anyway. They begged for bread and He provided manna; they were thirsty, so God instructed Moses to speak to the rock of granite and water flowed freely. It flowed freely though Moses had not been obedient. He struck the rock in anger rather than speak to the rock as God had told Him. They begged for meat, and God provided quail in abundance.  Their sandals never got holes, yet they walked in the hot sands every day.  Their clothes never required patching, and their feet did not get blisters, nor did they swell because Jehovah Jireh saw their need and He met that need  consistently.

 Read Exodus 16:4

1. Why did God say He was providing the manna for the Israelites?

Read Exodus 16:1-36

2. Were the Israelites obedient? Find two ways the Israelites were disobedient in following God’s directions regarding His provision for them.  We are like whining children begging for Barbie number 26, because there is a cheap ring included that we desire. We don’t need it, it isn’t going to benefit our growth, and it is only going to give gratification for a few seconds.

What Does God provide?

“Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven.” Before we pray, we should always be sure that what we ask for is in God’s will to provide. The first thing Jesus did when He prayed the model prayer was praise the Living God. Then He asked for the earth to be like
heaven. He asked that God’s will be done on earth like it is done in heaven. What a wonderful thing to ask for. IF we would allow that to happen, there would be no need for further petitions in prayer.  All that would be required would be continual praise for His merciful provision.

God is not like we are with our own children. He will not give us that piece of candy, just because we are making a
scene in Wal-Mart. His permissive will allow us to make mistakes, but He will not aid us in our headlong attempt to be disobedient, or make decisions that will harm us.

When we pray for something we are to pray only for what is within God’s will to provide. So what is within His will to provide? From the above verse we can see that Jesus said everyone, even the Gentiles, are provided with food, drink, clothing, the basics, simply because the Father knows we need it, but is there more?

 A. Jehovah Jireh provides us with our very existence, the environment around us that allows us to flourish, and the resources to gain food and clothing for ourselves.

Read Philippians 4:19

3. What does God provide for the believer? How do you interpret this verse? And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  Jehovah does promise to provide for us, if we are within his will, if what we ask for is within His will.  I think this is something we forget.

We forget Matthew 6:31-34 . Read Matthew 6:31-34.

4. What did Jesus say we needed to do before we asked for our daily needs?

Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

Our father knows we need those things, but if you lack…remember obedience is involved here…”But seek first His kingdom and His rghteousness and all these things will be added to you.” I realize that some bedient, righteous people sometimes have needs. I have to remember that I am ot God. I do not know all things. I do not have His purpose for eternity in ront of me. I must have faith in what is unseen, what is yet undone, but has been ccomplished in the mind of God, who loves me.

Captain Picard in Star Trek Enterprise, walks up to  wall and says, “Tea, Earl Grey, hot,” in that gracious English
Accent and the wall spits out a steaming cup of hot Earl Grey tea in a eautiful china cup. It does not work that way in the real world. We are xpected to till the ground, plant the seed, tend the garden, harvest the crop,
preserve the food, weave the cloth, and trample the wine. If we seek His way or us, if we seek His righteousness, we will find it is in His will for us to ork for our keep, and then He will provide for us. He does not promise excess.

When my husband lost his job, we were worried, and e prayed for a way to take care of ourselves. We did not receive excess, but mall ways were provided. A two-day job at minimum wage here, a fifty dollar job delivering cars  to another city, a tutoring job at the school system, and gifts from believers who knew our problem met the need on a daily basis. People who were led by the Spirit to help another believer sent money. The Hands of
Christ reached out to us and cared for us, just as He promised.

From the above verse we can see that Jesus said veryone, even the Gentiles, are provided with food, drink, clothing; the hings we need, simply because the Father knows we need it. Philippians 4:19 is one of the most quoted and best-loved scriptures in the Bible. And why not; on the surface, and out of context, it can be taken to mean that God will supply all your needs no matter what. Go ahead and squander your money on whatever you wish without a thought to those around you who are in need. However, if we connect this verse with the verses that precede this verse you will find a different concept altogether.

Read Philippians 4:14-16

5. When did the church at Philippi begin helping Paul? Did they send gifts one time or several?

Paul is thanking Philllipiansfor the money sent to sustain him while he was in prison. It was not the first time
they had helped him financially and prayerfully. At the beginning of his ministry they were often the only support that he had. Paul describes their gifts as a “sweet smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to
God.” The promise given in Philippians 4:19.  “And my God shall provide every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” referred to the sacrificial giving of the church in Philippi. They were faithful to the point that their own family’s were in danger of suffering. God would see to it that they would never suffer lack
because they were faithful, completely devoted in supporting those who were  spreading the good news of Jesus Christ.

This promise is meant to assure obedient followers of Christ that God’s abundant provision is available. The
Child of God should be experiencing God’s grace in the form of daily provision. God’s grace to the Christian not only takes the form of material things of life, but guidance through difficult problems and times of worry and grief, strength when we are tempted, and immersion in the love of the Holy Spirit when we feel spiritually alone. God will provide for our needs out of His abundance, when and because we have done our part. When we have been obedient to His commandments, unselfish in our giving, centered in His will. He does provide for our needs because He is merciful.
(End here)

Read Psalm 103:3

6. What is promised in these verses? He forgives all of our sins, and took the consequence on Himself. The penalty for sin is death. That penalty was paid by Jesus Christ. It is a miracle that allows me to write the word forgiven on my  crown. This verse also tells us that He heals our diseases? Notice, healing takes place after forgiveness. Not all sickness is a result of sin, but where it is connected, forgiveness must come first.

B. He provides physical and spiritual healing.

Because of original sin, all people die a physical death on this earth. They all die of something. This makes the question of healing difficult for us to understand. I don’t know the answers, but I am certain that God is the ultimate healer. When the beginning of God’s reign is a reality and  God sits  in His rightful place on the throne in Jerusalem, there will be no sickness and no death.

C. He has provided for salvation of sinful man, because He loves us and spiritual enlightenment for those who seek it.

Read Romans 5:8

7.  When did Christ die for us?

Read  John 3:16

8. Why did He give His life?

Read Romans 3:23

9.  Why was it necessary for man to be condemned to death?

Read Acts 13:38-39

10. What do we have to do to attain and know that we have the gift of salvation and eternal life?

Read 1 John 5:13

11. God’s grace is a gift, so how are we saved? What does not save us?

Read Ephesians 2:8-9

God has promised that He will provide Spiritual enlightenment to those who look for it. We need to know more
about God and His plan for us. This means that these faithful followers of  Jesus will, in the resurrection, be highly exalted to be like him. (I John 3:1-3)

Read Peter 1:4

12.   Wat does it mean to be like the  resurrected Jesus? To be like the resurrected Jesus means to be a partaker of
the Divine nature.  We need to know who we are, and what God has called us to be.

D. He gives us the only hope mortal man can take hold of in his daily struggle to survive.

Read 1 Thessalonians 1:3

13. What is the only hope mortal man has?  The hope in our Lord Jesus Christ is all there is. Hope is another wonderful gift to those who are in Christ. It is glorious to serve the living true God. It is true peace to know His Son will come for us from the heavens. It is the blessed hope we all yearn for. Every man must have hope to survive. O.S. Marden says, “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.”

Many place their hope in man’s ability to solve problems. Many think the governmentcan bring peace to the world. This hope is empty a vapor of hope that wafts over you like a faint breeze; then is replaced by the blistering heat of  reality. Don’t get into the canoe with a Politian thinking He is going to solve your problem. His insufficient bit of wood will sink in that well-known stinking  tributary even if you help him paddle. Get into the boat with Jesus. His nail scarred hands will save you. His broken heart will blanket you with everlasting  love. His ressurrection insures your place in eternity.

Read I Thessalonians 4:14 and II Corinthians 4:14

14.  What words in these verses show us that His resurrection secures our resurrection to eternal life? If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we can believe that God will bring those who are asleep in Christ will go to God just as Christ did. God raised Jesus and He will raise us also.

There are three kinds of death: physical death (death of the physical body), spiritual death (separation from God), and the second death or eternal death described in Revelations. The second death is eternal separation from God. Before we are saved we are spiritually dead, walking around under the weight of our sins.

Read  Romans 6:4

15. What happens when we are baptized? We are raised from our spiritual death so we can walk in a new life.  This is possible only through His love and sacrifice.

E. He preserves those who follow him.

Read Psalm 37:28 .

16. What does the LORD do because He loves justice? He preserves believers forever.  Because of this we are eternally secure. Remember the covenant before creation; Christ agreed to make the sacrifice that was needed to save the fallen world.  He met the requirements of the covenant when He died on the cross. Our old man was crucified with Him so that we could do our part by accepting the sacrifice made in our behalf. Christ met the terms of the covenant and now God must also meet the terms and He will; because He cannot do otherwise. It is not in His nature to go back on His word. We, as believers do not deserve this, but Christ died to buy it for us, and His resurrection secures it for us.

F. He prospers the saints.

Read Deuteronomy 28:1-68

These verses list the blessings that come if we observe and do all the commandments and what will  happen if we do not.

17. A. List three that are important to you. My choices are
Blessed be the fruit of your body(my children), blessed be my basket and my
store(my livelihood), and coming in and going out(blessings in my everyday
activities). My greatest peace regarding prospering is Psalm 23:1

B. Write Psalm 23:1 here. The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

G. He protects the saints.

Read Psalm 91:4

18. A. Where do we find refuge?

B. What does He give us as a shield?

We are a flawed people who err  and need to school ourselves, to learn discipline as we grow in our faith. We
are tested to prove we will be obedient. But we can rest under the very wings of God. We can experience peace as God takes care of us as a mother bird tenderly cares for her chicks.

H. Delivers the saints:

His provision for deliverance is complete and begins with our inner heart.

Read 1 John 1:9

19. What is the deliverance that is promised in this verse?

How wonderful a promise is this? There is hope. I can be forgiven because provision has been made to cover my willful sin. Sinless Christ dies for my sins and the provision is perfect. I need do nothing but believe and follow Him in obedience to His words. But is there a promise of deliverance from pain, heartbreak, trouble, terror and more. Is there deliverance for the day to day horrors that afflict us during our lives?

 Read Psalm 91:3, Psalm 27:1, Psalm 34:17, Psalm 91:5,6, Psalm 107:6, II Samuel 22:2, Romans
8:2, John 8:32, 36, Luke 4:18, II Peter 2:9, James 5:16.

20. Make a list of areas in which  Jhovah Jireh has provided deliverance for His children.

(end here)

I.  He leads us.

Read Deuteronomy 8:2

We all have read how God lead, protected, fed and nourished the Israelites for forty years in the wilderness. We sometimes wish that we had this kind of direct supervision from the LORD. How could we not believe? How could we not be obedient if we witnessed the cloud leading by day  and  the pillar of fire protecting the camp at night? How could we not praise Him when we picked up the manna every day and fed on the quail that flooded into the camp to provide meat? How could we not give Him honor and glory that He deserved when we did not experience swollen feet as we marched daily through the sands of the desert and our sandals never wore out? Yet, they did not obey!  They were not grateful! They did not relish their position as favored ones of God! And neither would we if we were in the same position.

Yet, in His great mercy, He does lead us and guide us. He does this in many ways.

Read Proverbs 2:6-9

21. Why did God say He led the  Iraelites in the wilderness?

Read Psalm 32:8, Isaiah 30:21, Psalm 48:14, Psalm 37:23, Psalm 25:9, Psalm 25:12, Psalm 32:8, Psalm 37:23, Psalm 48:14, Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 3:5-6, Proverbs 1:33 , Proverbs 2:6-9, Isaiah 42:16

22. As you read these verses, make a chart with two columns. On one side list the words pertaining to guidance and on the other the conditions required to merit the guidance and wisdom of the LORD.

We can see that we have responsibilities that must be met to gain the guidance of God in our daily activities. We are to be open to Him and regard Him with serious reverence and  awe. We must acknowledge Him as our God and trust in Him. We must leave our own uderstanding of our situation behind us and follow Him listening for the voice in our ears that tells us to go left or right. We must be walking upright and  with integrity in His ways proving to Him that we will walk in His ways of righteousness. We are all walking in the wilderness. Why? Deuteronomy 8:2 So He can humble us, “prove”(test) us and know what is in our heart that He may see if we
will follow His commandments. We can be like the Israelites and refuse to be obedient. We can refuse to walk with integrity and truth as we follow the way He has set for each of us as individuals; or we can seek His face, receive His righteousness, and walk with Him in fellowship, always privy to His wisdom,  cunsel, and guidance.

J. Brings his words to pass

Read Luke 21:32-33.
This verse refers to Israel and Jerusalem in the last days, but does God bring is words to pass for each struggling individual?

Read II Peter 3:9, Psalm 115:3, Psalm 135:5,6, Daniel 4:35, Isaiah  4:9,10 , John 10:27, 29, Luke 12:32, John 6:39,40, John 17:12, Luke 1:37.

23. Read these verses and write down at least one that pertains to your life? The LORD is longsuffering, patient with me because it is not His will that I perish. Everything that he has willed has come to pass, therefore, the earth produces the fruits that I need to survive and the plan of salvation made before the beginning of the world is there for me. There is nothing that can stop Him. Satan will never rule! I am His sheep and He knows me and nothing can snatch me from His hand. He will give me eternal life and will raise me to be with Him. None who know Him will perish. No word of God is void of power. All that He wills for me will be accomplished if I am yielded to His will.

L. He orders the ways of men

Read Proverbs 16:9.

We work and think and plan, but it is God who directs our ways. We have the choice to follow where He leads us or to go our own way. We should subject ourselves to His leadership and let Him have His way with us.

Proverbs 16:1-4,

24. What do we need to do in order to be successful?

Read  Proverbs 16:9, Proverbs 3:5, Psalm 25:4, Proverbs 1:33, Isaiah 48:17, Isaiah 58:11, Psalm 48:14, Psalm 37:4-7, Philippians 1:6, Psalm 37:23,

25. Write a one or two-line motto using the truths obvious to you when reading these verses. This is mine. “I am far too smart to disregard the advice of  God, but I am so Spiritually  deaf that I do not always hear it plainly.”  “Don’t do a stinkin’ thing until you have heard from God about it.”
We can plan out our lives, or simply what we will say or what we will do when an occasion presents itself, but God is sovereign and will overrule anything that does not accomplish His purpose. In order to experience answered prayer, in order to receive good things from the provider, we must make sure that what we ask for is within His will.

M. He ordains the conditions and circumstances of man.

 Read  I Samuel 2:7-8

This verse confuses me because I do not understand why some people are so poor and needy and others experience the comfort and luxury that wealth brings. However, I know that God has a reason and we will someday understand. When I think of the Spiritual areas of a man’s life, I realize that all can be rich beyond anything man’s mind can dream up for himself. Man does not have the capacity to accomplish anything for God in His own effort, power, or strength. Only through the power of the Holy Spirit can we win souls, become strengthened in our resolve to follow God, or understand the Wisdom given to us in His word. If we do not like the way God rules the universe He created, then we need to create our own and run it the way we wish. Since we live in His Universe, we have to do it His way and trust Him as the omnipotent one, the omniscient one,
the omnipresent one. We can have peace knowing that He is El Roi, the one who  sees and understands the suffering and afflictions of His people. He is Jehovah  Rapha, the one who heals and He is Jehovah Shammah, the one who is there. He is Jehovah Tsidkenu, the LORD our righteousness when we have none of our own. He
is Jehovah Mekoddishkem, the one who sanctifies us and prepares us for our meeting with Jesus in the clouds of glory. It is He and He alone who has the right, wisdom, and ability to ordain the conditions and circumstances of man.

N. Determines the period of human life

Read  Acts 17:26

26.   According to this scripture, what else did God determine? God is the source of all things and He made all the necessary decisions that we are not capable of making. Not one of us can add one second to the days of our lives.

O. He defeats the plans of the wicked and overrules the wicked designs against good.

Read II Samuel 17:14-15 , Genesis 50:20

 Absolom had made the despicable decision to dethrone His father David, the anointed of God. He gathered the wise men of the kingdom, including those who had served under His father and asked them for advice. Hushai,
remained loyal to David and Absolom, whose heart mind was directed by God to follow advice that would ultimately help His father listened to him. When this verse refers to the good advice of Ahithophel, who would have benefited from his advice, Absolom or David?

27.  Can you think of any other stories in the Bible where God defeated the plans of the wicked?

P. He preserves the course of nature

 Read  Psalm 104:5-9

28. Do you depend on God to preserve the course of nature? Think of some ways in which you take His
order for granted. process of aging, every good drought ends with a rain,  childbirth, death, the seasons, snow melts when the temperature rises…We take God’s order for granted. We live in a well-ordered Universe in which the very movements of the sun and moon tell us when it is time to plant the seeds and when it is time to reap the treasures from the earth that will sustain us during the harsh winter months. These things were known from ancient times by people who had never heard of a telescope, but they had sense enough to figure out God’s timing for their lives.

S. He  directs all events

Read Joshua 7:14

In this story, Achan had sinned.

29. What did God tell Joshua to do? God still directs the affairs of man. In the New Testament, a similar incident occurred. The sin of Annanias and Saphirra was made known by the Holy Spirit in the early church. God deals with each of us in a personal way by having the Holy Spirit convict us of our sins. He deals with us as individuals, churches, and as nations.

R. He rules the elements

Read Isaiah 50:2

30. From previous studies, can you give the names of God that relate to His role as Creator, Sustainer, and God Almighty?

S. He orders the minutest matters

Read  Matthew 10:29-31

31. A. If God is aware of the thousands of sparrows that inhabit the earth, what can we infer from this verse?

B.  Does this verse give you comfort? Write a short prayer thanking God for His  provision of this verse that assures us of our worth to Him.

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Chapter 5 Jehovah Jireh…How do I access the provision of God…Part 3

September 12, 2011 at 7:01 am (Uncategorized)
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Elohim Creating Adam, 1795, in the collection ...

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Chapter
5 Jehovah Yireh—How Do I Access the Provision of God?—Part Three

The name of
Elohim declares that Jehovah created and loves His creation. He loves mankind and is always working to support creation, to maintain it so it continues.

Psalm 8:3-9

3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? 5 You have made them a
little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet:  all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.

These verses make it clear that God is maintaining His creation for the benefit of mankind,
who in his own strength is incapable of caring for himself or the earth on
which he lives.  It is this attribute,  this love, that enabled the Triune God to covenant with Himself to provide the
sacrifice needed to cleanse mankind from his awful transgressions. The will of Elohim is to take care of His creation because He loves it and He is willing to make any provision, any sacrifice to bring mankind back into a right relationship with Himself.

Jehovah…Yahweh…I AM WHO I I AM…always has
been, is now, always will be. He is beyond human comprehension, transcendent,
yet, it is He who determined to create humanity. Why? I find myself thinking
about that a lot. He says it was for His glory.

Isaiah 43:7  
every one that is called by my name, and whom I have created for my
glory, whom I have formed, yea, whom I have made

Why ?

He knew what we were going to be. He knew us when we were still a puddle of mud and clay. He
knew us when we were in the womb of our mothers, before our cells were knit together.  Psalm 139:13   For thou didst form my inward parts: Thou didst cover me in my mother’s womb.

Yet, clearly aware, omniscient of our capacity to sin, aware of the Hitler’s, Bill Gacey’s, Mousillini’s, and Caligula’s he went on with His plan. Painfully cognizant of every foul murder, sexual atrocity, and cruel act toward the innocent; with full knowledge of our ability to lie, misrepresent, cheat, and lust… He created us anyway. Of course he knew about the Mother Theresa’s of humanity, but were they enough to offset the hideous reality of the mind of man?  He knew what we would be, yet He declared that He would defer His anger and refine us!

Isaiah 48:9-11  For my
name’s sake will I defer mine anger, and for my praise will I refrain for thee, that I cut thee not off.

10 Behold, I have
refined thee, but not as silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

11 For mine own sake, for mine own sake, will I do it; for how should my name be profaned? and my
glory will I not give to another.

Jesus said none of us are good.  Romans 3:10. as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one;

I could not sacrifice my son for the likes of these. But this He determined to do, before their creation? It is beyond the feeble understanding of mankind.  God has a capability for love that is beyond
our understanding.  It is a consuming love, passionate, capable of forgiving, and redeeming.  It was a love that was willing to make whatever sacrifice was necessary to save the object of His love.  Having determined to create man and provide a plan of redemption when man failed and proved himself unfit for fellowship with
the Father, He began to build a creation that would provide an ecosystem, an orderly universe full of beauty as well as provision for every need of man.  Then He created man in His own image.  From the beginning man was intended to reflect the glory of God.  He was to multiply and fill the earth, so the knowledge of God’s glory would cover the sea.  And what is the definition of God’s glory?  God’s glory is the perfect musical harmony of His Names, His attributes, as they merge into infinity and reveal one perfect, beautiful, and personal being, resonating with warmth, love and wisdom.

Would a God like this want to hear from me or from you? Would this God care about our daily need? 1 John 4:8  He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

God is love and the nature of love is to focus on others.  John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his
only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life.  Because God is love He can be depended on to be true to His nature.   The evidence of His love is throughout the Bible.  Jehovah
is faithful to fulfill His promises. Jehovah determined to bring us into being with free will even though He knew it would break His heart. Doubtless He sees something that makes it all worthwhile, not in us certainly, but in His divine will, He sees an objective that will magnify His glory and accomplish His divine will. The characteristic of love is seen in Elohim, who wants to cherish us and sustain us. The characteristic of El Shaddai shows us the power and abundance available to us and Jehovah Jireh is the one who provides. He is the one who takes care of the problems. In Jehovah is the love, the sustenance, the power and the ability to provide for our needs.

So why do we go without? Why do face need of any kind? If He loves us so much, where is He? We can see that He determined before time to love us and care for us. We can see that He loves and cherishes His creation and has the power, abundance, and sufficiency to nourish and care for us. And we can see that He has determined to take care of us. We can see He wants to, He can, and He does provide for our needs, yet so often we weep because He is not answering our prayers. How can we access the power and love promised to us?  We will discuss this question and look for answers in the following studies.

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Jehovah Jireh Chapter 5 Part Two

May 19, 2011 at 1:00 pm (Uncategorized)
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God's name in Bible "Jehovah" at a R...

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Jehovah Jireh je-ho’-va-ji’-re (yahweh yir’-eh,

The Lord Will Provide

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Psalm 84:11.

We often think of our physical needs, in fact we sometimes obsess over them.  Sometimes the things we catalog as “needs” are really “wants.” God does indeed give us all we need to maintain a right relationship with Him.  He provides the means for our physical needs to be met also. 

  1.  Where is God in our time of trouble, in our time of joy, in our time of routine life?

Read Jeremiah 23:23-24

2.  To whom is the Lord near?

Read Psalm 145:18

3.   What does God provide in our time of trouble?

Read Psalm 46:1, Nahum 1:7

He is near to us, accessible, ready to commune with us before we even see our need. He provides refuge, strength, help, and a stronghold.

The Scriptures clearly tell us that God is near and that He wants to commune with us. He sees our human need and because He is El Shaddai, He is sufficient to meet that need in a bountiful and abundant way.  He can meet the need in a supernatural way as He did with Abraham and Sarai and the birth of Isaac. It can be in a seemingly natural way that could be explained away, as He did when He provided a ram caught in the thorns for Abraham to use as a sacrifice.  He did not send it in the arms of an angel; it was caught on the thorns so Abraham could easily get to it.  Abraham did not need a flock of sheep, so God sent just one pure unblemished sacrifice.  How often do we miss the provision of the Lord and dismiss it as a stroke of luck, chance, or being in the right place at the right time.

4.  What is our greatest need?

Romans 5:10-11; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21

5.  Why does man need reconciliation?

 Romans 5:12-19    

6.  When does sin become apparent in a person’s life?

Psalm 51:5; 58:3

We are conceived in sin and are sinners from the beginning.  We are born carnal.  Our spiritual life is not apparent without God’s love to awaken it.  man became an object of abhorrence to God when he fell in Adam.

7.  How does man appear without Christ’s robe of righteousness?

 Isaiah. 1:6

8.   Can the carnal man understand the things of the spirit?

1Corinthians 2:14; Romans 8:7

 9.   What happens to the natural man without God?

2 Timothy 2:24-26, Luke 1:78-79, Hebrews 2: 14-15

10.  What is the result of continuing to live in our fallen natural state?

Ephesians 2:3  

11.  Will we try to find God in our natural state?

Romans 8:7

12.  What has to happen to bring about reconciliation with God?

Colossians 1:20-22 

Our greatest need is one we are not aware of until we are convicted by The Holy Spirit.  Jeremiah 6:15  “Are they ashamed of their detestable conduct?    No, they have no shame at all;    they do not even know how to blush.” is talking about the enemies of Israel, but aren’t we all like this before we come convicted by the Holy Spirit?  From before creation, God knew of this need.  He knew creation could not provide for this need of propitiation for sin.

  Isaiah 40:16  “Lebanon is not sufficient for altar fires, nor its animals enough for burnt offerings.”

  The cattle of a thousand hills, which by the way, belong to God, would create an ocean of blood, but it would not be enough.

Heb. 10:4 “It is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins”

God knew nature could not provide what we needed nor could we provide it for each other.

 Heb. 10:4 “Men may themselves die, but in death each man who dies only pays his own debt to nature; there is nothing left for another.”

Ps. 49:7  “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:”

The ransom had to satisfy the need for justice and righteousness in the eyes of Jehovah.  It had to be an infinite sacrifice conceived in love to cover an infinite number of sins.  It had to be pure and unblemished by sin.

Redemption is God’s business.  Where else can we find redemption for the multitudes that would be effective in ransoming us from death and hell?  Only Jehovah Jireh could provide.  Only He could say, “Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom” (Job 33:24).

Jehovah, Almighty God is a righteous God who loves justice.  He is Holy and not only demands holiness from His own, but cannot receive that which is unholy into His presence.

Because Jehovah is Elohim, the Creator who loves His creation, He made a promise to Himself to clothe His creation in righteousness that He might be reconciled and brought into eternal fellowship.  The attribute of fullness, bounty, all sufficiency belong to Jehovah as El Shaddai.  He is fully able to purge us, chastise us, and save us to the uttermost.  And He is willing, even eager to do so because He is Jehovah Jireh.  Before time began, He determined that He would take care of it.

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Jehovah Jireh Chapter 5

May 12, 2011 at 10:27 am (Uncategorized)
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Fresco with image of Abraham to sacrifice his ...

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Jehovah Jireh Chapter 5 part One

Jehovah Jireh   

je-ho’-va-ji’-re (yahweh yir’-eh,

יְהֹוָה

The Lord will see to it.  The Lord will provide.   The Lord will be seen.  (The Lord will take care of it.)

Jireh is a form of the verb “to see” in the Hebrew language.  It can also have the connotation of seeing beforehand or “prevision.”  Provision is a combination of two Latin words meaning, “to see beforehand”  “Thus with God forseeing is prevision.  As the Jehovah of righteousness and holiness, and of love and redemption, having prevision of man’s sin, and fall, and need, He makes provision for that need.”  Nathan Stone, The Names of God

Genesis 22:1-18

Abraham and Isaac were walking up the mountain side with two servants to give a sacrifice demanded by El Shaddai, Almighty God.  Isaac was carrying the wood on his shoulders.  He was a young man at this time and knew fully what was involved in making a sacrifice to God.  He knew that the two servants were not bringing the traditional goat or sheep.  His beloved father, Abraham seemed preoccupied so Isaac refrained from asking the obvious question.

Abraham walked with a troubled heart.  He had followed Elohim, for a long time now.  God had revealed himself as El Shaddai, the all sufficient God.  He knew that Elohim could set aside the ordinary course of nature and bring about miracles unheard of by man.  He and Sarah had experienced the birth of Isaac because El Shaddai had quickened their bodies withered by age and Isaac had been born.  Abraham understood that God wanted the world of his time and the world of the future to understand that a mighty nation was begotten through a miracle of Almighty God and not through efforts of a man.  Abraham had some experience with faith and he believed in the God who had led him out of Haran.  He believed in Elohim, who protected Sarah’s virtue when He had wavered in the might of the Egyptian Pharoah’s power.   He believed in the promises made by El Shaddai because he had witnessed many impossible promises become reality.  He knew that he knew, that he knew that the rest of the promises would occur in Elohim’s time frame.

Abraham kept repeating under his breath, “God will see to it.  God will provide.  God will take care of it.”

But his mind recoiled at the task God had given him.  He was to sacrifice Isaac, the son of promise…the child of laughter.  He was to bind his only son to the altar of the Lord and drive his cruel knife into his heart.  And he had made up his mind to do it. 

“What shall I tell his mother when I return?” he thought.  I must not think of that.  God will take care of it.  He is El Shaddai, Almighty God.  He is all powerful.  He is able to save Isaac from this awful deed.  He is sufficient.  Perhaps he will raise him from the dead?”  He shook his head in despair, “God will take care of it.  God will provide somehow.”

And that was his answer when Isaac asked him, “Father, where is the sacrifice?”  Did Isaac ask again as his father laid the wood around the altar?  Did his eyes reflect pools of questions as His father laid hands on him and bound him to the altar?  Apparently he was a strong young man when this happened, yet he did not try to fight, but was willing to trust his father’s faith in El Shaddai.  He had often heard the stories of angels who visited with his father and promised a son, many descendents that would be a mighty nation.  I am sure He felt agonizing fear and betrayal as his father lifted the knife in trembling hands.  The name of Jehovah Jireh was on Abraham’s desperate lips as he looked at his son with tears in his eyes.  Elohim will be seen.  We have a covenant.  He is almighty God.  He sees my need before I do.  El Shaddai  is sufficient.  El Shaddai can save to the uttermost.  Jehovah Jireh…That is when the angel stayed his hand…at the very moment Abraham was going to plunge the knife into Isaac’s chest.  “Do not harm the boy.  You have not withheld anything from me, even your only son.”

The knife came down, not to sacrifice, but to free Isaac from his bonds.  I am sure old Abraham sprinted to take the ram by the horns and pull him from the thorns.  Adrenalin flowed and gave him strength to place the ram on the altar in Isaac’s place.  Tears still flowed, but they were tears of gratitude to the God who had chosen him and in whom He had placed his faith time after time.  The God he had failed, but who did not fail him.

Abraham called the mountain the Lord will provide.  He did not call it the Lord provided or the Lord provides, but the Lord “will” provide.  He knew it was not finished. 

It would not be finished until Jesus Christ the only begotten Son of God, carried the wooden cross on his back to Calvary.  It would not be over until this innocent Christ, in whom there was no fault, was bathed in every perverse sin humanity could dream of and His father would turn away with tears in His eyes.  The betrayed Jesus, would cry out in a loud voice, “My God, My God, Why hast thou forsaken me?”  The need for sacrifice to cover the stench of sin would not be complete until the promised Son cried out, “It is finished!”  God has taken care of it!

This attribute of God has not been named before Abraham’s experience on the mountain, but it certainly had been experienced.  Many of God’s provisions had been of a supernatural nature, designed to get the attention of sinful, arrogant, boasting, willful man.

List the supernatural provisions of Jehovah Jireh, including provisions to remove evil from the earth, that had been manifested before this.

 Genesis 1:1

Genesis 5:24

 Genesis 6:8

Genesis 7:6

 Genesis 11:7-9

 Genesis 19:15-16

 Genesis 19

 Genesis 21:1-2

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Chapter Five Introduction Puzzle

May 4, 2011 at 10:54 am (Uncategorized)
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Go to the garden in prayer as Jesus did in Gethsemane. He will provide!

 

Chapter 5 Puzzle

 

Directions: 

Read the question below the puzzle and look up the verse.  Find a word in the scripture that will fit in the box and finish the word.  All the letters in the row will not necessarily be part of the word.  The letters will form the name of God we are studying.

  T   H   R   O   U   G   H     E   S   U   S   O   R   T    X
  E   S   I   P   R   R   R     F   U   G   E   L   E   T    M
  M   A   F   B   I   G   V     A   R   V   E   S   T   E    B
  K   N   I   S   E   P   P     O   R   K   P   I   H   S    A 
  O   I   T   I   S   R   E     E   A   L   E   D   E   D    T
  I   N   I    L   A   N   D     N   D   W   A   T   E   R    R
  S   T   R   E   N   G   T     N   A   C   A   I   S   H    Y
  A   R   U   T   A   T   W    🙂   E   N   E   A    T   R   O    U
  A   R   D   E   N   E   C     A   C   O   B   E   H   T    P
  D   S   A   C   R   I   F     C   E   F   S   P   A   Y    C
  D   R   A   P   S   P   P     O   V   I   D   E   B   E    U
  P   A   T   M   B   B   R     A   D   A   C   I   D   A    K
  R   H   C   E   X   E   W     E   A   R   T   A   P   L    G

 

Philippians 4:9                     1.  Who provides our needs?

 Psalm 9:9                              2.  What does God provide for the oppressed?

Leviticus 26:3-6                    3.  What does God provide because we need physical food?

Psalm 68:10                          4.  Who does God provide for in this verse?

I Corinthians 2:9-10            5.   How do we know about God’s provision?

Psalm 65:9                            6.  What does God enrich when He provides?

Psalm 29:11                          7.  What does God provide for His people in this verse?

Isaiah 49:6                            8.  Who did God use to provide the light for the Gentiles?

Zephaniah 1:7                     9.  What has God provided for the consecrated He has  invited to be present in the         

                                              Day of the LORD?

 Genesis 22:14                      10.  What did Abraham believe God would do?

 Matthew 6:11                        11.  What does the LORD’s Prayer teach us to ask for

                                                believing God will provide?

 Psalm 37:4                            12.  God knows our heart.  What does He provide us if we delight in Him?

                                                13.  What word is common to each question?

                                                14.  Finish this statement.  Jehovah-Jireh means God who …?

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