God Provides…

 God Provides….

Several years ago, my husband , a friend and I traveled to Salt Lake City to spend a few days with a filming crew…we were going to be background people for the filming of a series of short movies to be put out by Crown Financial on God’s Provision…”God Provides”…

Early one morning we headed out for a site southwest of Salt Lake City into the foothills where a whole crew of camp sites, trucks, trailers, sets, caterers, make up artists, costumes, etc.. we were costumed, made up, given instructions…we watched in awe of the crews as they did take after take of various scenes…we were placed in background places when needed, did our parts over and over again…

Times of the day were from early morning to late at night…

Another day we were on set in a studio with sets for indoor scenes…same  procedures…and we watched entranced by the directing, the action, the scenery, the hard work all of the players put into this production…

The late Dean Jones played Abraham…taking his son Isaac up the mountain with wood piled on a donkey to heed God’s call for sacrifice…

In the Bible, he (Abraham)did the walk only one time…while in the movie it was done over and over to get the right angles, the right light, the right face, the right structure…but, even then in one scene, outside, God provided the right beam of light, through broken clouds, at the right time for a scene the producers wanted to capture…

From the beginning to the end, the people working, writing , producing would say that in telling this Bible story of God’s provision thousands of years ago, He moved to provide in the present day telling as well..in the supply of costumes, writers, producers, people, studios, food…

It was fun while it lasted. We weren’t offered any further movie roles…we met some amazing people…the dozens of background people, the directors- the Erwin Brothers, the Jones, others who filled in…watched people who excelled in their craft of movie making, etc…gained a new appreciation of this art…it is not a walk in the park…it is hard work…

Reading of Abraham’s call to first send off his son, Ishmael, by Hagar into the desert to eventually become a leader of a nation must have been hard…and then to be called again to sacrifice his son of promise, Isaac, must have been hard as well….but there is nothing said  about him faltering, questioning…he obeyed because he knew God was faithful In providing….he tells his servants to wait and they will return…

Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. 

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.” 

And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, 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 name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. 

And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” 

So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba. And Abraham lived at Beersheba.

Genesis 22:5,8,12-19

I know I have written about this time in the past, but it still resonates…the Provision, the obedience…the example of faithful following…the example of waiting…the example of God’s call…His promises…God is still the same yesterday, today and tomorrow…His plan through the ages still stands…

Thank YOU…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcjOBagmat0