A description of the course that explains what you will learn and how it will help you grow closer to Jesus
4 lessons
4 lessons
4 lessons
God provided at just the right time—and he still does
In 2013, my wife and I decided to move from Boston to Atlanta to be closer to family. We felt so strongly that we quit our jobs before finding new ones. It was a bold act of faith (I don't recommend everyone try this!), and we earnestly thanked God when we found employment before the moving trucks arrived.
Have you ever taken a step of faith before you knew how it would all work out?
In Genesis 22, God told Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a burnt offering on a mountain. Somehow, Abraham acted in obedience, trusting that God had a good plan.
But it wasn't until Isaac was bound to the altar that God revealed his intentions. Only then did an angel appear and command Abraham not to harm Isaac. Simultaneously, a nearby ram was caught by its horns. Abraham sacrificed the ram as the burnt offering and named the place The Lord Will Provide.
For centuries, the Israelites practiced burnt offerings as commanded by God: a sacrifice paid the price for their sins. Instead of Isaac's death, a ram was offered. Instead of the Israelites, a lamb was sacrificed.
When Jesus arrived, God sent a prophet, John the Baptist, to explain his identity: "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). That's not a nickname most of us want!
There is a clear but subtle Biblical allusion between the ram caught in the thicket and Jesus caught on the cross. While we can be grateful that God often meets our needs for work, housing, and other necessities, our greatest need is for God's forgiveness.
As Paul notes in Romans 5:6-8, "For while we were still helpless, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For rarely will someone die for a just person—though for a good person perhaps someone might even dare to die. But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
God provided an angel and a ram at just the right time to rescue Isaac. He provided John the Baptist and the Lamb of God at just the right time to rescue us from all our sins. Because God has faithfully met our needs in the past, we have reason to hope that God will one day meet our greatest need: to enjoy eternal life in his presence.
Genesis 22:8
Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." Then the two of them walked on together.
When have you had to trust God without knowing the outcome?
How does the story of Abraham give you hope that God will meet our needs?
How has the Lamb of God given you hope that God will meet our needs?
Write down how God has met your greatest needs. How could you share these stories to give hope to your family and friends?
Get 5 practical emails to help you follow Jesus with a friend.
158 friends have opened a study shared with them.