Jehovah Jireh, My Provider - Lee Brainard

The Bible teaches that God shall provide the needs of his own according to his glorious riches (Phil. 4:19). It also tells us that he is a very present help in the time of need (Ps. 46:1). I have found this to be so, and so has every one who has ever trusted Him. I could recount many needs that God has met and many prayers that he has answered. But I will divulge only a single recent example.

This summer, from June 21st to July 3rd, five friends and I braved the snowpack, cold temperatures, rain, and sleet to hike in the Beartooth Wilderness in Montana. During one of our hikes my leg plunged through the snowpack on a downhill slope and my left shin was slammed against a buried log. I managed to limp my way back to camp and hobble around for a few days. My leg got worse. It was tender and weak. When I walked more than a few steps, my shin burned. I would not be able to hike out unless I had a staff to lean on.

As I contemplated my need, I gazed at the campfire. There in the flames in front of my eyes was the perfect staff. It was a little over five feet long. The fat end was burned down to a taper and hardened. The narrow end had a crook to lean on and several bends that matched my hand angles. My staff had been brought to me with the firewood. “Before you call, I will answer” (Isaiah 65:24).

~Lee Brainard, July 12, 2014