Paula Wiseman

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Home » God's provision

Posts that reveal God's provision for us

God’s Provision

By Paula

God's Provision title graphic

And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.” 1 Kings 17:7-9

If you’ve read the Old Testament or remember your Sunday school lessons as a kid, you’re probably familiar with the story of how God took care of Elijah. Tucked in that account are several lessons about God’s provision.

1 Kings 17 opens with Elijah announcing to King Ahab that a drought was coming as a judgment for the idolatry in Israel. After he delivered the message, God hid the prophet and provided for him by commanding ravens to bring food to Elijah each morning and evening. Ravens won’t even take care of their own young, but at God’s command, they brought food– real food and not the rot they usually eat– to nourish the man of God.

God’s provision sometimes comes from unlikely places.

After a while, the brook that had been Elijah’s source of water dried up. Elijah had to have known this was coming. He must have watched the trickle shrink each day all while waiting for God to intervene, to make the brook flow or to make it rain. It didn’t happen.

God’s provision doesn’t always come according to our plans or on our schedule.

Instead, God told him to go to Zarephath. Eighty-five miles away. Think of that. Israel is desert-ish. Elijah is going to hike 85 miles. In a drought.

God’s provision isn’t an always an easy handout.

The Bible doesn’t record how God took care of Elijah on that trip, only that the prophet arrived safely. In Zarephath, God commanded a widow to provide for the Elijah, only it seems God hadn’t told her that plan. In fact she’s more shocked than Elijah. She explained she had enough food for one final meal and then she and her son would starve like everyone else. Elijah asked her to feed him first, and she did. God honored her faith and took care of all of them for the duration of the drought.

God’s provision for us blesses others.

How has God’s provision for you proved these lessons?

Filed Under: Thursday Theology Tagged With: 1 Kings, faith in real life, God's provision

Into the Wilderness: Wandering

By Paula

Into the wilderness wandering title graphic

And the LORD’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation that had done evil in the sight of the LORD was gone. Numbers 32:13

The dictionary defines a wilderness as uncultivated, uninhabited or undisturbed by human activity. A wilderness is also pathless. Metaphorically it is a bewildering situation.

No doubt many of us have had our own wilderness experiences- or have that to look forward to. As it turns out, Scripture has a lot to say about the wilderness and what happens there. We are most familiar with wandering, and we’ll look at that shortly.

But the wilderness is also a place of transition, restoration, instruction, temptation and communion. Over the next few weeks we’ll take a closer look at what happens when we go into the wilderness.

We know the story of Israel’s rebellion in the desert. God brought to the very edge of the Promised Land but they refused to cross over and take it. Because of that fateful decision, God turned them back to the desert of Sinai for forty years until the entire generation died off.

It is easy to focus on the tragedy of Israel’s disobedience and loss. Yes, it was a time of judgment. Yes, God’s anger was roused against His people. But God was doing so much more.

He sustained them – Nehemiah explains, “Forty years You sustained them in the wilderness, They lacked nothing; Their clothes did not wear out And their feet did not swell.” Nehemiah 9:21 The judgment did not fall without a provision for how God was going to take care of His people through it. This was an important reminder for the generation returning from Babylonian captivity, a seventy-year judgment. God sustained His people in the wilderness and He sustained them in Babylon.

We can also take heart. When our rebellion and sin pushes us out of God’s will, He does not abandon us. No, even then He sustains us.

He did miracles – In Deuteronomy 8, Moses recounts how God provided water from a rock and manna. Their crowd of former slaves defeated sizable armies. When the fiery serpents came in another judgment, God granted miraculous relief. There was the cloud and the fire. The Jordan River parted, and on and on. God never ceased working on behalf of His people.

Even when we feel distant from God, He continues to work in mercy and grace all around us.

He proved them – “And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not” (Deuteronomy 8:2). This is not to say that God didn’t already know, but after their time in the wilderness, Israel knew that the big promises they made back in Exodus 19:8 (“All that the LORD has spoken we will do.”) couldn’t be half-hearted lip service. We see this in the New Testament as followers of Jesus walked away when the reality of discipleship became clear.

During our days in the wilderness we learn if we are following God or our version of Him, and what our motivation is.

He restored them – The promises of a land flowing with milk and honey were not forfeited because of Israel’s failures. The realization of those promises was delayed. Israel remained God’s chosen people and He restored them to Himself once His anger had been satisfied.

No matter what, a wilderness experience is never permanent. God is always ready and willing to restore us.

Several of the psalms celebrate God’s care for Israel while they were in the wilderness. It is a testimony to His patience and His grace toward His people. However, we must never presume upon that grace and choose to transgress against Him. Paul breaks down that argument in Romans 6.

Not every wilderness experience is a result of our rebellion. Next week we’ll see how time away is sometimes necessary for a transition to the next thing God has for us.


Want to read more about the Wilderness?
The Wilderness
Hearing the Voice in the Wilderness

Filed Under: Thursday Theology Tagged With: Deuteronomy, Exodus, God's provision, Into the Wilderness series, Nehemiah, Psalms, Romans

In Spite of Us

By Paula

In Spite of us title graphic

Know, therefore, that the LORD your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness, for you are a stubborn people. Deuteronomy 9:6

We can learn a lot from Israel.
In fact, Paul said all those things about them are recorded to instruct us. (Romans 15:4)

Here’s today’s lesson.
God’s provision for us is not because we are good.
It’s because He is good.

The good land,
The inheritance,
His presence,
Victory over the enemies,
His Word.

All gifts of His grace.
Not because of them
In spite of them.

The gifts we have
Are gifts of His grace.
Not because of us,
In spite of us.

Filed Under: Monday Meditations Tagged With: Deuteronomy, God's provision, Romans

Reaffirmed

By Paula

Reaffirmed title graphic

Reaffirmed means to state again, to confirm again, but stronger. Like this promise from God:

“I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” Genesis 28:15

Sometimes, I forget this.

I have times when I feel alone, abandoned.

Forgetting God’s promises doesn’t negate them, though.

It just causes me unnecessary grief.

Thankfully, God reaffirms His promises. He reminds me, and reassures me.

He knows that sometimes I need that more than the promise itself.


Dig deeper into God’s promises Study Tip: Promises, Promises

Filed Under: Monday Meditations Tagged With: faith in real life, Genesis, God's provision

Encounters Series

From the opening pages of Scripture, no one who has encountered a holy God has come away unchanged. Adam, Abraham, Hagar, Moses and many, many others realized that God is not distant but a God who … Read More

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Covenant of Trust Series

A covenant is a solemn, binding agreement. God chose to unilaterally enter into a covenant with Abraham. No matter what Abraham said or did, God vowed to uphold the terms and bless Abraham. Marriage … Read More...

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Foundations Series

Jesus told a parable about a wise builder and a foolish one, underscoring how important it is to have a solid foundation. He declared that obedience to His word was the surest foundation of all. In … Read More...

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