“Jehovah-jireh!”

(The LORD will provide)

By Evangelist Paul Mershon

(Revised and updated February 2012)

“Now the just shall live by faith . . . .” (Hebrews 10:38a).

God’s plan is there shall be none of self and all of Christ. The very people who are doing the most for God in saving souls, in mission work, in the care of orphans, are those who are working on short supplies of strength, of money, of talents, of advantages, and are kept in a position of living by faith and taking from God, day by day both physical and spiritual supplies. This is the way God succeeds and gains conquests over His own people, and over the unbelief of those who look on His providences. (George Mueller)

"All I have needed thy hand hath provided! Great is thy faithfulness, Lord unto me!"

“And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?” (Numbers 14:11)

Have you ever had a problem believing God?  The children of Israel sure did!  God did miracle after miracle and yet they murmured and complained and wouldn’t believe his word.  Therefore the passage quoted above -  God says “How long will this people provoke me? And how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?”

Can you hear God’s heart in this passage?  HOW LONG BEFORE THEY BELIEVE ME?  I think it hurts God’s heart when we don’t believe him.  And it says in Hebrews 11:6 that without faith it is impossible to please God.  How would you feel if you had a child that you loved dearly and took care of faithfully and he constantly was concerned that you would feed him or clothe him or get him to school on time, etc.  What if he constantly wondered how he would eat that day or how he could get some money so he could buy some food to eat in case you didn’t provide?  What if he murmured and complained because he thought you weren’t doing what he thought was best for him?  Wouldn’t it hurt you?   Wouldn’t you wonder why this child couldn’t see how much you loved him and wanted the best for him, and that you had always provided for him?  He only had to look at the past and see that he had never lacked a meal to understand that you would provide this for him.  But yet he doubted.  That would be distressing indeed!

But how many times have you done the same thing?  How many times has the Lord met your needs and taken care of you and yet, when trouble came, you didn’t believe he could solve your problem, but instead went the way of the world and looked for worldly solutions.  God says to you, “How long before you will believe me?”

I know whereof I speak.  We live by faith, which means we have no certain income.  The support that we have is never the same.  Some months are lean and some are better.  And our support never covers all our needs.  So, when we are slow with meetings and have no extra income to supplement our support, things can get lean.  And, have you noticed, that when your income gets lean, then all these extra bills come in, making the matter worse.  Your car breaks down, you have unforeseen medical bills, etc. At times like this, we are tempted to worry and fret and God says “How Long?”  In our circumstance, we live by faith, but we have never been late on a bill, have always met our obligations and God has always been faithful.  Yet, how often we are tempted to forget all these things and worry or complain when the situation gets tough.

We are just like the children of Israel.  God showed them many miracles and yet, when they had no water, they complained.  When things got difficult, they complained.   

Recently my husband quoted H.A. Ironside in an article.  He said “For the servant of the Lord to be finding fault because of the smallness of his support, is to make manifest at once that his dependence is upon man rather than on God;”  This hit home with me.  Our support comes from God and he knows exactly what we need and when we need it.  We have no right to complain because churches and people aren’t faithful in their support or are careless about sending it. 

I especially have a struggle with financial concerns as I learned at my mother’s knee how to worry about the finances.  My Dad was a drunkard and drank up our money, so she was always concerned about it.  I learned the lesson well from her, and it has always been a struggle for me.  I love Psalm 20:7 “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”  Often I will sing this verse to myself.  It says we will remember His Name.  Names like Jehovah-jireh: that is, The Lord will see, or, provide.

We have a great God who loves us greatly and is always there to take care of us.  Let us remember his names and his promises so God won’t have to say to us, “How long?”  (From an article by Mrs. Linda Mershon entitled, “Believing God”)

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalms 23:1).

Someone has said, “I believe Psalm 23 is the most loved Psalm of them all, and it is the one least believed.”  Do you believe it?  You love it, do you not?  And you like to say, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”  But the next time you are thrown out of a job are you going to say, “Oh dear, I don’t know what on earth I am going to do.”  What was that about the Shepherd?  “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”  And when sickness and bereavement come, do you say, “Oh my, it is all up with me.”  Is He no longer your Shepherd?  Do you say these words over and over and yet not believe them? (Dr. Harry A. Ironside)

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21).

“But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

Oswald J. Smith, a Canadian pastor . . . . moved to Toronto to pastor a church, and just as he was about to preach his first sermon there, the treasurer approached him saying, “We’ve told you everything about this church except one thing – we’re in debt.”  Oswald headed for the pulpit, and for his text he chose, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).  That Sunday morning he preached a missionary sermon.  Then also in the evening.  He asked the people to come back every night of the week, and gave them missions again.  The next Sunday morning he preached three missionary sermons, and took up three missionary offerings.  In the end, the people caught a vision for the Lord’s work, and without a word being mentioned about the home needs, they were shortly afterwards paid off as well.  His whole life was driven by a desire to make the . . . . mission field the main priority of the church.  He was sure that “the light that shines farthest shines brightest near home.”  His life motto was, “You must go, or send a substitute,” and “Why should anyone hear the gospel twice before anyone has heard it once?”

“A faith that hasn't been tested can't be trusted” (Adrian Rogers)

Have you ever heard anybody say, "It's a sight!" That's about the way the average person lives. He lives by sight, not by faith. But you cannot live by sight and by faith, neither can you live by fear and by faith. It either has to be by faith or by fear, by faith or by sight. Which way are you living? Faith takes out the anxiety It takes out the fear. Faith leans heavy on the Lord. It knows that the Bible is so and can be trusted and that we can live by it and all of our needs will be supplied . . . . God honors faith. Don't talk to me about it not being practical. It works. If you live by faith, you're going to pay your bills too. Somebody said, "Well, I'm just living by faith. I'm having a hard time." You're having the best time of anybody if you're living by faith. "We just do the best we can, because we're living by faith." You can't do any better than that. I'm not ashamed to say that God is faithful. I don't want to live any other way. I had rather die right now than not to live by faith. I'd lose all the thrill of living if I didn't live by faith. I don't want to know what tomorrow holds. I just want to trust Who holds tomorrow and go on by faith.

I'm going to do my best to explode your silly notion that faith won't work right now. I get so disgusted with this bunch of Tom Thumbs that run around and act like God's dead. No wonder the world says He's dead. When we worry and fret and murmur and complain and have jealousy and envy and are ugly, they don't see anything in us. You don't have any problem God couldn't solve if you'd give your life to Him and put your faith in Him. "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths." Proverbs 3:6. "Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." Psalm 37:5. "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain." Psalm 127:1.

I wish people would trust Jesus. It just grieves me to see the way people live today. I don't see how Jesus puts up with us, when He tells us what He will do for us and we don't believe Him. I remember I was praying one day in my study and was kneeling at a little divan and when I got through praying, there were four one-hundred dollar bills laying right there on the divan where I was praying. Do you think they just fell down? No, I think somebody came in and dropped them down, but nevertheless they came. The Lord is real. I've gone in the pulpit and opened this Bible and I've found hundred dollar bills in my Bible. I was checking out of my motel in Big Spring and looked in the drawer and found a thousand dollar bill that somebody had given me.

God is concerned about you, but the trouble with most of us is that we're not willing to trust Him. We're not willing to put all our faith in Him. God never makes a mistake. He said,"...God will supply ALL your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19. How precious and wonderful the Lord has been . . . . (Lester Roloff)

“ . . . . as it is written, The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17b)

On a Sunday morning a pastor friend in Mexico stood before the congregation and announced that the church was in deep financial trouble. He called God’s people to prayer about the matter, and then did something that I fear not many men would do.  He shared with all in attendance the desperate need of a family that was almost destitute and in immediate need of help and financial relief.  He said, “Though we have great needs of our own, God will provide for us as we look to Him, but He has impressed it upon my heart that we put these dear folks and their needs first above our own.  I want to take up a love-offering for them this morning.  Would you please consider what you and I can do to be a help to these precious people?”  With that, a gracious and generous love-offering was taken up, and the immediate needs of this poor family were met. These folks were very poor themselves, but they gave out of their poverty whatsoever they had.  The pastor went on to preach, and as he came to the close of the service, one of the men of the church came to him and told him there was a very important phone call he must take right away.  He turned the service over to someone else, and quickly retreated to his office.  The fellow on the phone asked the pastor if he was sitting down.  The pastor replied in the affirmative.  The caller then went on to tell the pastor that a church somewhere in the United States had closed its doors, and as they divided their remaining funds amongst missionaries, God had impressed it upon their hearts to send $14,000.00 to the church in Mexico.  Within just a matter of minutes God honored the sacrificial love-gift taken up for the needs of others, and at the same time supernaturally provided for the needs of the church.  All of the financial needs of the church were met.  The church family put the needs of others ahead of their own, gave sacrificially, and then had their needs wonderfully met by “Jehovah-jireh,” (The LORD will provide – God our Provider).  Praise His holy Name!

“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:14-17).

I heard of another church that had for years been raising funds for a building program as they were in need of more space to accommodate a growing ministry.  If my memory serves me correctly, they were very close to their goal.  But one Sunday a church planting missionary came to present the work God called him to, and he shared the immediate need for funds to purchase a piece of property he was sure God wanted the fledgling church to have and build on.  They had some funds set aside for the purchase of land, but nowhere near enough for the tract God had led them to.  Land was very expensive and at a premium in this area where God had called the missionary to plant this particular work, but he knew in his heart, and had peace that God would provide for the needed funds.  He made no appeal to the church where he was speaking to give towards the need, and had no expectation that they would do so.  But the Lord spoke to the heart of the pastor that morning, and the hearts of the people.  Being moved by the Spirit of God, the pastor led the church to give the church planting missionary all of their building fund for the purchase of the needed property.  Within a year, the church giving of their own building fund money had their needed building constructed and completely paid for as God provided for them in a supernatural way whereby He was glorified. 

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again” (Luke 6:38).

I dare say that the majority of our church members today do not live by faith, nor do they trust God and depend upon Him to provide for their every need, or for the needs of others at their hand.  Everywhere I go now days pastors tell me of the downturn in giving, ostensibly blamed on the “recession” and the poor economy.  No doubt all of us have been impacted by the economy, but this is nothing new.  It has happened before, and it will certainly happen again. 

Many of our people give proportionately rather than sacrificially.  The churches of Macedonia gave out of “their deep poverty.” “ Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.  For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God” (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).  By giving sacrificially as they did, they proved the sincerity of their love for the work of God and the needs of others.

We all know the story of the poor widow woman of Luke 21:1-4, and how she gave so sacrificially out of, not her abundance, but out of her penury (lack of resources – severe and deep poverty).  “And he (Jesus) looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And he saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And he said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: For all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had” (Luke 21:1-4).  When I read this convicting passage of Scripture, I am left to wonder how many of us have learned the principle of giving established by this powerful example given by the Lord Jesus Himself?

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.  Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:6-15).

God is not affected by an economic recession.  He remains “Jehovah-jireh” when the economy is good, and when the economy is not so good.  Surely all of us have been impacted in some way by what has taken place in the economy of what is fast becoming a fiscally bankrupt country.  But that in no way limits God when it comes to His people.  “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread” (Psalms 37:25).  When it comes to our finances, the only thing that limits God is faithlessness and unbelief.  We say that we believe that God shall supply our every need, but do we really believe it?  Do we really believe that “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want?”  When our income is threatened or financial challenges beset us, do we really believe that we shall not want?  Do we really believe that he “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us?”  Do we?  When financial trials come, do we look to God, or do we look to ourselves for the answers?  Do we remain faithful in our giving, or do we rob God because we think we just cannot make it unless we de-prioritize our giving and prioritize our own needs?  The great discourse from the Sermon on the Mount addressing this matter (Matthew 6:19-33) ends with this thought.  “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

I have found that it does not take much faith to give when we have an abundance of wealth.  What takes faith is giving when we do not have an abundance of wealth.  And not just proportionately but sacrificially.  I am dismayed by the lack of faith on the part of so many today.  We ask our missionaries to live by faith, and indeed expect them to do so.  And yet many a church member does not require the same thing of themselves.  We expect our pastors to live by faith, and yet those to whom our pastors minister somehow think themselves exempt from faith-living as well. 

One pastor told me that missions giving was down because income in the church was down.  I asked him how many folks in the church had lost their jobs or their source of income.  It turned out that only one man had been laid off, and the rest of the folks were fully employed.  Yes, the cost of living is up, and some have had financial setbacks due to a cut in pay or health issues, etc.  These are things that we all live with.  But could it not be true that giving is down because of faithless and unbelief?  Faith never impacts or curtails giving.  It is fear that impacts and curtails giving.  For many, there is the fear of the unknown in an unstable economy.  There is the fear of loss of income.  There is the fear of not having the security of a regular paycheck.  There is the fear of losing one’s home.  There is the fear of not being able to maintain a certain lifestyle.  There is the fear of not having enough money to pay the bills or feed the family.  Fear, fear, fear!  But God would have us to give our hearts over to faith not fear.  Fear cancels out faith.  Fear gives evidence of unbelief.  Fear is indicative of spiritual immaturity.  “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect (mature) in love” (1 John 4:18).  Funny thing is that In have spoken to many a Christian who expressed fear when it came to their temporal needs, but I can honestly say that I have never heard anyone say that they feared that if financial difficulties came upon them they could not give to the work of the Lord.  Yes, fear, my friend, is the enemy of faith, and the just have been called to live by faith.  We do what we can and must do, for “if any would not work, neither should he eat.” God honors hard, diligent, honest work, but still it is a matter of faith that God provide the job whereby a living is made, and that God provides for our every need through, not only the sweat of our brow, but through His supernatural provision. 

I knew of a man who had a heart for missions.  He gave sacrificially to missions and missionary work, and was known to do many things behind the scenes to help those on the field preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Though he was a man of meager means, he prayed that the Lord would prosper him in order that he might do more for missions, not less.  Like you and me, he had a family to care for, had bills to pay, and had financial responsibilities that must be met.  But he made God’s work a priority in addition to his other financial responsibilities.  He learned the importance of giving as unto the Lord and putting Him first. He always honored the Lord with the first-fruits of any increase in his income. “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine” (Proverbs 3:9-10).  God blessed and enabled this dear brother to earn a greater income over the years, giving him the desires of his heart that he be able to do more for the cause of missions.  But even when he had less, he did more, and God, seeing his heart, gave him more that he might be able to do more.  He could be trusted with the increase that God gave him as he was a faithful steward over the substance God had entrusted into his keeping.  He was no Ananias, that’s for certain!

Our Lord was sitting over against the treasury, taking note of what the people contributed.  He is still observant of what His people give to Him; He knows whether or not it is out of love to Him that we give; He knows whether or not those who give do so sacrificially and with real self-denial . . . We generally judge people by the amount of money they give.  If a rich man gives a large sum we say he has given much; but if one brings in little we may pay scant attention to it.  God’s way of reckoning is quite otherwise.  He takes note, not so much of the amount given, but what is left.  A rich man might give thousands and have hundreds of thousands left; another person, in lowly circumstances, might give a very small amount, but because he had very little left for himself it would go down as a large contribution.  The Lord Jesus saw the poor widow casting in two mites, a very small sum.  Two mites, we are told, amount to a farthing, a very infinitesimal coin, even of less value than a British farthing.  Yet Jesus said, “Of truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury hath cast in all the living that she had.”  I take it that was her whole day’s pay.  She worked all day and this was all she had for it, and she put all into the treasury of the Lord.  No one giving thus to God ever suffers because of it.  God will reimburse him in His own time.  He will be no one’s debtor; He will make it up some way for whatever we give to Him.  (Dr. Harry A. Ironside)

Ours has been a by-faith ministry throughout the many years God has had my wife and I serving in itinerant ministry.  We are wholly dependent upon God’s supernatural provision, most often at the hand of His people as we minister in local New Testament churches throughout the country.  We truly live of the Gospel. “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14).  It has been a true joy to learn to walk by faith over the years and trust the Lord for His provision.  Though we have had some pretty lean times, in all of these years we have never gone without, and have always been able to defray all of our expenses and pay all of our bills on time.  We have never missed a meal, and have never gone without gasoline for our minivan (now 14 years old) or diesel fuel for our truck (now 12 years old) both of which have been essential to our ministry.  We have a roof over our heads, living in our comfortable fifth-wheel trailer.    No one pays for our health insurance, we have no paid vacations, no paid sick days, no weekly salary check, no corporate retirement fund, no automobile allowance, and no expense account.  We have had to learn over the years to trust Him, and that has been a precious journey for Linda and I.  God has been so good to us, and He gets all of the glory for sustaining us.  It is a wonderful and exciting way to live! 

Of all of the great lessons God has taught me over the years, one of the greatest is that He is truly able.  Yes, He “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think!”  But beyond all of this, God has taught me that giving is far more important than receiving.  In exhorting and admonishing the Ephesian elders, Paul said, “I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).  And, indeed it is!  Giving is a form of worship, and we who are saved don’t just have to give, but we get to give unto the Lord.  God truly loves a cheerful and generous giver, no question. 

As I close this article, I am reminded of all that God has given for us that we might be saved.  He is the ultimate Giver!  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”  (John 3:16).  So it is just our “reasonable” service to be cheerful and willing givers, giving abundantly from our hearts to the work of the Lord.