BAM! There He Is!

As usual, I am writing this more to myself than anyone else, but I hope you will join in and read along with me. We all know the principle of praising and worshiping the Lord during rough times. We have been taught and know it is important to God. We also know it can be difficult to say the least, and at times almost impossible, to lift up a sincere praise when our world is falling apart. I have experienced some dark times over the years and have found this principle to be true, but I have never tied it to the scripture in Genesis 22:14.

So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided. (NIV)

BAM! There it is. Abraham had taken his son up to the mountain in an act of obedience and worship. He was in the act of sacrificing his son when the Lord stopped him. Yes. But also, in that moment of supreme surrender, the Lord provided.

Over in the thicket was a Lamb - on the mountain top of worship and surrender, Abraham found the Lamb. He named that place Jehovah-jireh which means 'the Lord my provider.' OK - is anyone else as excited as I am right now?

Psalms 34:7 (Amplified Bible) 7 [a]The Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe] and each of them He delivers.

Want deliverance - for yourself or for someone else? Want provision in the middle of your pain? Want an answer that only the Lamb can bring? Worship Him. Not out of a selfish desire to have your way, but out of a heart that is in love with the Lamb. Worship Him and Him alone. Surrender your will and your way to His perfect will. Come up high on the mountain top of worship and lay it all down. It is there, in that place of true worship that the Lamb will not only appear but He will be your answer.

John 4:24 God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth. When we worship in truth, all thoughts of ourselves are laid aside. Only the object of our worship is important.

Trust me, I understand it is not an easy walk up that mountain. You and I have both walked it at times. We all know the path is steep and rugged. For Abraham it was a three day trip just to reach the top. For me it has often been longer than that, but when we reach the top it is all worth it. There in the thicket we find the Lamb.

So, those are my Saturday morning thoughts as I look forward to Mother's day weekend. As moms and dads we understand the pain Abraham must have felt when God asked him to sacrifice his son. But, as children of God we understand the Lord's heart and the fact that He was truly working all things together for Abraham's good. He is the same today. His love for us is unconditional and never changes, but when we obey and worship we see his hand at work in mighty ways.

Happy Mother's Day everyone!