Jesus's disciples asked him to teach them to pray (not how to pray but to pray). I don’t know about you, but I often feel prayer is too low a priority in my life. For this reason, I’ve been actively pursuing prayer more often throughout the day and use the Lord’s Prayer as the skeleton on which I hang the meat of my prayers to help me stay focused.
What does hallowed mean?
As a child, I learned that hallowed meant holy. And that is correct, but what does the word holy mean? In Noah Webster's 1829 Dictionary, the definition is: Consecrated to a sacred use, or to religious exercises; treated as sacred; reverenced. Consecrated means separated from common, usual, or ordinary use and sacred use pertains to God or to his worship. When applied to the name of God it signifies being perfectly pure, immaculate, and complete in moral character. Let’s keep that in mind as we look at God’s compound name Jehovah Jireh as a matter of prayer.
Jehovah Jireh meaning
The meaning of Jehovah Jireh is “The Lord will provide.” We find this name of God used in Genesis 22:14: Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.
To appreciate this name we need to look into the context of this particular account. God had asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering. At face value, this seems absurd for a host of reasons, but to grasp the deeper implications of what God is teaching us, it’s important to look at the history of Abraham. In Genesis 12, God calls Abram* (before God changed his name to Abraham**) to leave the land of Ur where he lived with his family. He was to travel to the land of Canaan which God promised to give to Abram and his offspring forever. He followed God’s calling and took with him his wife Sari, his nephew Lot, and his father Terah. His father passed away, and Lot and Abram grew wealthy and had enough livestock that they went their separate ways.
In Genesis 14, Abram rescued his Lot after he was caught up in a war and taken captive. In chapter 15, God comes to Abram in a vision and says, Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great (v. 1). At this time, Abram addressed the fact that he has no children saying, “Since You have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir” (v. 2)
God told him that his servant was not going to be his heir, “but one who will come forth from your own body, he shall be your heir” (v. 4). Then God took Abram outside and told him to count the stars if he could. “And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness” (vs. 5-6).
Here’s something that most people don’t realize. When God made this promise, Abram was about 75 years old, and yet he believed God. That's faith! And the heir did not come about immediately. Isaac wasn’t born until 25 years later.
Now, let’s get back to the part where God has asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, in Genesis 22. Abraham headed out early with Isaac. He didn’t drag his feet in obeying God. By this time, Isaac was around 17 years old. As the two of them walked to the mountain, Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice on his back and Abraham carried the fire. As they walked, Isaac asked where the lamb was for the burnt offering. I can’t imagine how Abraham felt, but he held fast to his faith. He said, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son” (v. 8).
When they reached the place God had shown him, Abraham built the altar and arranged the wood. Then he bound Isaac. As he readied the knife the Lord called to him from heaven. What a relief that must have been. God told Abraham not to harm his son because, he said, “I know that you fear God since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (v 12). Then Abraham spotted a ram caught in the thicket by its horns.
And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of Jehovah it shall be provided (Genesis 22:14).
It is easy in today’s world to take God’s provision for granted. Stop and take a look around you. Today, as you call upon the name of the Lord in faith, praise Jehovah Jireh for his provision for the sacrifice that he offered in your place.
"Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" ~ Rom. 24-26
*Abram means exalted father
**Abraham means father of a multitude
