Himself
8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. Genesis 22:8
There was something quite prophetic and profound in the personal understanding of God that Abraham was imparting to his son in this statement. In the middle of moving in obedience towards something that had to be tearing at his heart, there was an understanding that the very son he was willing to sacrifice before his God was a son that had been provided to him by that very same God. If God needed Abraham’s son to be offered up to Him it was an offering that had already been provided and Abraham’s understanding of this made it possible to be a part of his own son’s salvation with his proclamation that God would Himself yet provide a lamb.
In all of the perceived sacrifices we’re led to make in an obedient progress towards God’s purpose in our lives, there is a wonderful understanding to be had that He doesn’t ask us to give up anything He hasn’t already provided. When He is in need of a sacrifice the substance of that sacrifice will be something that He has Himself provided and if it has been given by Him, its replacement and even greater will be no problem for Him. Instead of allowing an apparent upcoming loss to shift a focus towards vacancy, there can, instead, be a creative proclamation made declaring the nature of a God who is ever faithful in His abundant provision. If He requires a sacrifice, He will Himself provide the lamb. If He asks a financial sacrifice, He will Himself provide the funds Himself. If He asks for the sacrifice of a dream, He will Himself provide the dream Himself. If He asks for the sacrifice of a relationship, He will provide that relationship Himself. If He asks for the sacrifice of an occupation, He will provide that occupation Himself. There may a be a heart-wrenching trip up a mountain, but when there is a proclamation of God’s provision kept in the mouth there will be loss, but never one that He doesn’t Himself provide.
14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide;[d] as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”