Do You Trust Him to Provide?

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and just as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here shortly.’” They went and found a colt outside in the street, tied at a doorway. (Mark 11:1-4 NIV)

There I was, 10 days into my marriage, moving across the country to the great state of Texas. All my newlywed husband and I had to our names: a few moving boxes, our marriage license, and a couple hundred dollars in our bank account. Not a financially strong way to start a marriage—yikes! I am not exaggerating when I say this—our shared car had just decided to stop working the night of our wedding and we did not then have a place lined up to live. We truly were starting our life together with everything new. All we had was a call from God saying, Go. We knew the Lord had told us to move to Texas in obedience to help plant a church in the heart of Austin. So, we packed up our few belongings and went in obedience. 

I wonder if this is how the disciples felt in Mark 11 when Jesus sent them into the city and told them they would find a donkey for him to ride into Jerusalem (Mark 11:1-4). I can almost hear the disciples thinking, “Here we go again, Jesus said a donkey will be just waiting there for us. I hope we don’t look crazy and He provides.” The disciples stepped out in faith, and sure enough, waiting there for them was a colt tied to a doorway (Mark 11:4). I imagine how excited they must have been to see that colt there. 

What amazes me about this story is that Jesus already knew the provision (the colt) would be ready and waiting for them when they were obedient and got there. The disciples did not see steps a, b, c, and d. Maybe they were filled with many questions. But they knew who Jesus was and His character. They knew they could put their trust and hope in His word. All they needed was the initial call from Jesus saying “go” to be obedient. This same step of obedience marked history forever when Jesus used that colt as He rode into Jerusalem. 

Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted, “Hosanna!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! 
“Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Mark 11:9-10)

It can be a scary thing stepping out in faith and answering to God’s call, but we have promise after promise from scripture that we serve a God who is faithful to provide for our every need. Just as Philippians 4:19 says, And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. He is Jehovah Jireh, our provider. He already knows the next step. All we need to do is be obedient with what He is currently asking us to do. 

Today, do you trust Him to provide? Whatever the need, no matter how great or how small, He already sees it. Will you take the first step in obedience and trust that He will be there to provide the rest of the journey? 

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Scripture is quoted from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION^®, NIV^® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.^® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.