Yahweh Yireh

The Lord Provides, in the original Hebrew.

This phrase is written in Genesis 22 when Abraham is taking Isaac up the mountain, prepared to sacrifice his son.

Abraham was faithful. And God provided a ram to take Isaacs's place.

What an incredible picture of God saving us, both as we apply it to our lives in the present and as we look to what He already did on the cross through Jesus.

“Yahweh Yireh” is something I have tattooed across the side of my left foot. Discreet enough that it’s personal to me but just visible enough that I see it every day as a reminder.

The past year or so has been so difficult for me spiritually and mentally. I am stretched too thin and am finally at the point where my brain and body are crying out “enough.”

I’m a stubborn person, and I’m learning that I am also apparently a bit prideful. I want to have the strength and ability to do everything and still excel above and beyond. I can't. That hurts me to admit.

In the pruning process of trying to cut back all I have felt is defeat and failure. Why can’t I do it all and be fine? Well, I’m starting to see that maybe God is trying to humble the pride I didn’t know I had. Or maybe He’s trying to force me to rely on Him and trust that He will provide for me instead of trying to do it on my own.

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I write this having no idea what I’m walking into next, having cut away at my busy schedule and some of my constants. However, instead of my typical panic, I am praying for the Lord to recenter my eyes to heaven and my brain to the words written across my foot - Yahweh Yireh. The Lord Provides.

He knows what I’m walking into, even when I don’t. He can see the end, even when I can’t. He has the answers, even when I feel lost and unsure. And most of all He cares for me. Deeply and genuinely. That is something I can rest in even on my most unsure days.

So here’s to learning to let go of control and assurance in this life, and instead resting in the assurance of God’s promises.

It’s not an overnight thing, at least not for me. It’s a process and I have to learn how to listen and rest with Him.

Lord, thank you for caring for me. Help me to lay my worries at Your feet (1 Peter 5:7). Thank You for providing for me in every circumstance (Genesis 22:14). May I lean on Your steadiness today instead of my own faltering strength. I love you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.