The Mother Hen

Praying for Your Kids Monday
Yahweh Yireh ~ The Lord Will Provide

(yah-WEH yir-EH)

Ann Spangler writes of Yahweh Yireh, "The Hebrew raah (RA-ah, from which yireh is derived) means "to see". In this case [Genesis 22:13-14], it is translated as "provide". Since God sees the future as well as the past and present, He is able to anticipate and provide for what is needed. When you pray to Yahweh Yireh, you are praying to the God who sees the situation beforehand and is able to provide for your needs".

God first revealed this name to Abraham in Genesis when He provided a ran for Abraham to sacrifice after Abraham had not withheld anything, even his own son, from God.

I remember reading this story after becoming a mother. I heard the story hundreds of times before but my mother's heart came in to play while reading it this time. I imagined Abraham's heart as he headed up the mountain to sacrifice his only son as God had asked of him. Had he told Sarah? Did she know that this was no ordinary trip and that her son would not be returning with his father? I simply cannot fathom how Abraham, and possibly Sarah, felt as God called them to sacrifice their only son, the child they had prayed and prayed for.

In Spangler's book she asks the reader to put themselves in the place of God in this story, to imagine how happy it must have made Him to provide the ram so that Abraham wouldn't have to sacrifice his son. I imagine that as pleased as He was with Abraham's obedience His heart ached looking in to the future and knowing that one day He would provide His own Son as the ransom for the whole world.

God's grace is never cheap. Through the blood of His only Son He has provided for every spiritual, material and emotional need we, or our children, will ever need. May we never take His ultimate sacrifice for granted, may our children always know His redemption was bought with a price and long to obey Him without compromise.

Yahweh Yireh, thank You for seeing my children and their circumstances long before they ever will and long before they can understand. Yahweh Yireh, You long to bless __________ for his obedience to You. I pray You will pour Your Spirit out on him and he will never forget that Your grace isn't cheap. I pray You will help __________ to obey without hesitation and without compromise. Amen.