Posted February 25th, 2022 at 3:12 pmNo Comments Yet
MaverickCity ~ JIREH (Click YouTube Icon Below for link)
Have you ever been going through a season where you felt like nothing was going right for you? Possibly everything in your life seem to be failing, or maybe someone put a curse on you?
Recently I have been going through such a season. And I want to share with you how Holy Spirit is helping me through this valley of the shadow of death in my life.
All week I have been feeling very sad and unable to cope with my current circumstances. You need to understand, that I am an intercessor and a great women of faith, but these last few battles, and attacks from the enemy, have been hard to overcome.
Nevertheless, I have been doing what I need to do listening to worship music, quoting the word over myself ~ I even put on YouTube videos that read the word of God to me while I slept so I could wash myself with the water of the word. But no matter what I did and how much everyone prayed for me I could not seem to overcome these negative emotions and feelings of deep despair. (and yes I even prayed for deliverance)
But one morning, I woke up trembling with the anointing of God and Holy Spirit hinting for me to look up more on the meaning of the word ‘Jireh’. For all week I had been hearing endlessly in my head the Maverick City song ~ Jireh.
With the words echoing in my mind; “Jireh you are enough…”
I already knew that Jireh meant ‘God is my provider’ and I was believing and hoping for the impossible. But God obviously had more for me as He often does as we seek Him out like a treasure hunt.
As I looked up the word Jireh, it took me to Genesis chapter 22, where Abraham was required by the Lord to sacrifice Isaac as a burnt offering.
Immediately, I knew what God was saying to me. For in years past, in the depths of my deepest darkest moment, God had said to me: ‘Now I know you will serve me.”
This was over 13 years ago, when my husband of 30 years left me and I was struggling deeply.
But this time God was reminding me that through it all ~I had sacrificed everything in my life ~and He was encouraging me that He had seen my “burnt offering” and that He would walk the walk of covenant for me. Adonai Jireh ~ The God who would provide for me ~ no matter what!
Let’s look at Genesis 22 together because I think there’s a lot of insight into this for many people and not just for myself and my situation.
It starts off with a story of Abraham and his son Isaac. The passage says ~ that God tested Abraham.
We don’t often think of God testing us because the New Testament teaches us that ‘God does not tempt us’ but He will test us.
Often He will offend the mind ~ to reveal the heart.
So, Abraham was told to take Isaac, the child of promise, whom he loved, and go up to the mountains and offer him there as a burnt offering. We can only imagine the deep heartache that Abraham was going through and yet he went.
As they climbed on the third day he lifted up his eyes and declared to his servants: ‘The boy and I will go up and worship and we will come back to you.’
Even in his deep pain, he was declaring his faith in God to those around him, though, he didn’t understand how God would provide, he knew, he and the boy would return.
“As they journeyed up the mountain Isaac spoke to his father and he said; Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering? And Abraham said; my son, God will provide for Himself the Lamb for a burnt offering. And the two of them went up together.
He bound his son and laid him on the altar upon the wood and stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son, and immediately an angel 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.’
and Abraham called the name of that place ‘The-Lord-Will-Provide’ (YHWH JIREH)
and the angel of the Lord came and renewed the covenant with Abraham of blessing and multiplication.” Genesis 22 (summary)
Have you ever been in a situation where no matter how much you prayed you could not understand WHY things were happening to you the way they were?
Perhaps you are being tested by the Lord.
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Hebrews 10:31
I don’t know why God is testing me, when I am 100% sold out to him. Perhaps it is because I am devoted to Him in Holiness and the Fear of the Lord. Perhaps, He sees me as a pure offering to purify me more? I do not know.
I am a poured-out offering to God.
But I do know this, God is faithful and He is not a man that He would lie. Our God is well able to provide for us in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death in our lives.
Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice and burnt offering for our lives. This story of Abraham is a Messianic Prophecy that God will provide the Messiah, the burnt offering, the Passover lamb, the sacrificial offering and the scapegoat that completely fulfills the covenant of God in our lives and for our lives. His name was Jesus the Christ, His grace and His blood are all sufficient for every circumstance in our lives.
Maybe you like me are struggling in a season of unknowing and endless bad circumstances.
My hope is that you will learn, as I am learning, to Lean into the Sovereignty of the Lord.
To trust in His faithfulness, to feed upon His faithfulness, and to know that no matter what happens, He is providing for you.
God is faithful.
Leviticus 1:1-17
Leviticus 1 gives instruction on the whole burnt offering, which represents Christ’s total devotion to God, revealing in broad strokes the ideal we are to strive for in our relationship with God. The burnt offering has four distinctive characteristics that set it apart from all others. To glean the most from it, it is essential that we remember that these characteristics all describe the same person but from different perspectives, much as the gospel accounts present four views of Christ, or as one would turn a piece of art or craftsmanship to inspect it from different angles. With each little turn, the viewer picks up a new feature that pleases or instructs.
The four distinctive characteristics are:
1. It is a sweet savor to God, given not because of sin but out of sincere and heartfelt devotion.
2. It is offered for acceptance in the stead of the offerer. The animal represents the offerer.
3. A life is given, representing total devotion in every area of life.
4. It is completely burned up, also representing total devotion but from a different angle: that it was truly carried out.
The animal was cut into four distinct parts, each signifying an aspect of Christ’s character and life: The head represents His thoughts; the legs, His walk; the innards, His feelings; and the fat, His general vigor and health. Every part was put on the altar and totally consumed by the fire.
The variety of animals sacrificed as burnt offerings identify additional characteristics: The bullock typifies untiring labor in service to others; the lamb, uncomplaining submission even in suffering; the goat, strong-minded leadership; and the turtledove, humility, meekness, and mournful innocence.
John W. Ritenbaugh
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