The Lord Will Provide

Reflection

The account of Abraham and Isaac on Mount Moriah is one of the most harrowing in Scripture, and we should not rush past its weight. Abraham climbs the mountain carrying wood and a knife, and his son climbs beside him carrying a question we can hardly bear to ask. Then, at the last moment, God stops him. A ram is caught in a thicket. The sacrifice is provided. Abraham names the place "The LORD will provide." He does not name it after his own obedience or endurance, remarkable as those were. He names it after God's character, revealed in the moment of greatest need. Provision came not before the test, nor long after, but right at the point of desperation. Much of our anxiety comes from demanding to see God's provision in advance. We want the ram secured and visible before we are willing to climb. But faith often means walking up the mountain while trusting the One who waits at the top. God's provision is real, but it frequently arrives at the last moment, so that we learn to lean on him and not on our own foresight. Centuries later, on a nearby hill, God would provide again — but this time he would not withhold his own Son. The ram points forward to the Lamb of God, given so that we need never climb that mountain alone.