A Ram in the Thicket

Jehovah Jirah! “The Lord Provides.” People of the book like to say this, sometimes without thinking. It’s a nice thought to adorn a coffee mug or a t-shirt. Maybe we have a bumper sticker that proclaims it. Nothing wrong with any of this, but there is a danger that its ubiquity strips it of its power. It can become cliché, and as such, something we can take or leave. But when Abraham was suddenly and miraculously relieved from the responsibility of sacrificing his only son, Isaac, he didn’t use it in a way that would fit the context of key-chain. He was profoundly grateful for God’s deliverance, and it would dramatically shape the rest of his life, as well as generations to come. The same should be true of parents, teachers, and counselors. We must be dutiful, and professional, and apply best practices, but only God can make the ram emerge from the thicket.