Di Bassinga Diaries: The Lord Will Provide

If I'm honest, this has been my biggest fear all year: that I don't know "enough"—that uncertainty will be my demise. It's one that I've carried all my life, really. Success, as I saw it, had always hinged on an accumulation of knowledge. "If I know more than everyone else, then I will be okay". Now, some of this was likely fueled by the "hit" I got from solving problems—I was remembering the other day my love for quizzes, particularly those multiplication tables—(Nerd). This changed a bit when I found the LORD (or when He found me) in college. For the first time in my life, I'd found One trustworthy of enough that I could release control and let my guard down a bit. I grew to be more comfortable with uncertainty. A year and some change out of college now, I'm finding that I have to learn this lesson all over again...

When God Calls...

"After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I tell you." (Genesis 22:1-2)

God, what?

A bit of context: Isaac wasn’t just any son—he was the miracle child God had promised Abraham decades earlier, back when Abraham and Sarah were far too old for kids. At first, Abraham tried to solve the problem his own way, having a son (Ishmael) through Sarah’s servant. But years later, God doubled down on His original promise: Sarah herself would have a son. Abraham laughed at the idea—Sarah did too—and God, in His own sense of humor, named the boy Isaac, meaning “he laughs.” Then He asked the question we'd all do well to remember: “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

And yet here, years later, God is asking Abraham to give that very child back. Not just to release him—but to sacrifice him. It’s the kind of command that makes no sense in the moment, and yet, in God’s story, would become one of the clearest pictures of faith we have.

What Will You Do?

"So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him/" (Genesis 22:3)

So now we return to Genesis 22, and the Lord comes to Abraham and says, essentially, "This miracle child of yours, whom I promised you a future through: sacrifice him." I'll tell you what, Abraham is a better man than me, because not only does he prepare to go forward with the sacrifice of this miracle child, but Scripture shares no signs of his resistance. It's this exact attitude that we're meant to learn from and hang on to—one that he carried before his name was ever changed (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:1-3). This isn't to say that Abraham was heartless, the LORD says that he loves his son. But Abraham trusted in his heart that the LORD will provide, even when things didn't make sense.

Not only did things not make sense, but Isaac, the sacrifice, confronts this fact: "My father! Behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" And Abraham, continuing in his signature belief tells him, "God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." A great sentiment, backed by capital-F Faith, given that there were no signs of replacement. Abraham didn't go in delusionally believing that the LORD was just pranking him; he not only prepares a place for the sacrifice, but he puts the kid on the altar and straps him in and lifts the knife to deal the blow... He didn't wait until God laid the whole plan out. He simply obeyed and trusted God.

What Will He Do?

"But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.'Abraham looks up and, behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the place..." (Genesis 22:12-14)

...The LORD will provide.

The LORD provides, even when things don't make sense. Sometimes especially because it doesn't make sense—because then He gets the glory. And that's the point at the end of the day. I'm not sure what God is asking you to sacrifice these days—comfort, a job, a relationship, your dream, your time—but I do know that He's called Faithful, and that His history in my own life has shown this to be the case. I hope that this moment serves you, as it did me, as a simple reminder that God is not just a provider—He's Jehovah Jireh, our provider.

As it turns out, God doesn't ask us to know everything—just that we'd trust Him. If you're stepping through a season where things seem scary or uncertain, or if you simply can't see the end, I'd encourage you to press in. Let this be the encouragement you need to dive deeper into relationship with the Lord and those around you.

Remember the times that God has come through in your past; if you're new to Jesus, ask those around you what He's done in their lives. Whatever you do, don't let yourself forget that, at the end of the day, the LORD will provide.

Be blessed.

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Verses to Look Back On:

Genesis 15; 16; 17; 18:9-15; 21:1-7; 22:1-14

Job

Psalms 2; 37

Romans 4:1-8

Romans 8