Already At Hand

"Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, that the people may drink." And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. Exodus 17:6 (New American Standard Bible)

As I think back on the many miracles of provision recorded in Scripture a truth is coming home to me. Amy Carmichael said it well when she wrote, “Have you ever been strengthened to win a victory perhaps over some inward foe, and have you suddenly found yourself tired out and sore athirst? Quite close, just where you are, there is water. Call, and the Lord will cause it to flow for you; some word of life will come to mind, some line of a hymn, some thought of peace, and your spirit will come again and you will be revived.”

When the children of Israel cried out because of thirst, the rock which brought forth water was close at hand. When thousands were fed from multiplied bread and fish, the boy’s lunch was already in their midst. When the widow set out to prepare a last meal for her and her son during a famine, the meal and oil were already in her home. When Abraham raised his hand to slay his only son, Isaac, the ram was already in the thicket near by. When Hagar placed her son Ishmael under a bush to die of thirst, the well of water was within sight. In these cases and many more, the supply God would use was right there for each individual. None of them could imagine that would be the way God would choose to meet their needs. They became the recipients of His sovereign generosity and compassion without even knowing what God would do or how God would do it.

God is showing me today that the same is to be true in my own life. It is imperative that I cry out to Him for my needs and then watch as He faithfully meets those needs. What He did in the past may not be what He does now but He will do something! I must leave the decision up to Him as to what or who He will use to meet my needs each time they arise. His options are not limited and neither is His ability.

Already this morning I opened His Word after letting Him know I needed refreshment from Him. I was feeling internally shaky and wanted Him to bring about a sense of peace and well being. His Word did that but it was accompanied by the reminder to no longer look to the old ways of satisfaction and help. Allowing Him to determine the supplying of my needs is to be my daily experience. What a God!

Father, looking to You never fails to put me in awe. You are the God who sees me and in that I rest, revel, and rejoice! Amen.

El Shaddai - Amy Grant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=la0bQAJTelU&feature=related