On That Note

This new series title ‘On that note’ is a pun off two things- musical note and mental note. It will involve my reflections on music, particularly songs that speak to me and what lessons they teach me. I’ll try to accompany the blog series with video/audio covers of the songs (either voice or saxophone covers.)

On that note, check out my short saxophone cover of Jireh- Elevation Worship and Maverick City on my Instagram .

For the listening peeps, here’s me reading the blogpost for you as is the usual here on Bloom.

For the past couple of weeks, this has been my go-to song. Whether on my way to school or while washing dishes, I have replayed it about a million times. It was particularly interesting that just before it was released, my best friend and I had a conversation on God as Jireh, that is, God the Provider. When you think of God providing, is the first thing you think about material? That is, blessings of money, a job, new clothes?

Well, Jesus is more than material blessings, and this is a lesson we must hold on to in these prosperity gospel filled times. My prayers in the recent past have looked like ‘What more can God give me?’ yet He has given me the best thing yet, Himself. Not that I don’t have any physical needs. But, I must remain cognizant of the greatest need I had that He has already blessed me with.

Jireh means ‘The one who will see to it that my every need is met.’ Just the way we say to our friends, ‘I will see to your matter’ when we are out to help them , so does God say to us. And it is in present continuous tense. The Lord Sees. How wonderful is that!

‘‘Jehovah Jireh is not The Lord Did provide, but the Lord will provide. In other words, the name doesn’t simply memorialize a past event, it anticipates a future action.’’ Got Questions website

I was curious to see where this name of God was first seen in the Bible. Turns out it was in Genesis 22. After God provided a ram in exchange of Isaac for a sacrifice, Abraham named the mountain ‘The Lord will Provide’, a prelude of the ultimate sacrifice that would be given to us, Jesus Christ.

‘For God so loved the world that He GAVE his only son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.’ John 3:16

Here is a short excerpt from a Charles Spurgeon preaching in 1884 on the same:

(full sermon can be found here)

‘’I believe that the truth contained in the expression “Jehovah-Jireh” was ruling Abraham’s thought long before he uttered it and appointed it to be the memorial name of the place where the Lord had provided a substitute for Isaac. It was this thought, I think, which enabled him to act as promptly as he did under the trying circumstances. His reason whispered within him, “If you slay your son, how can God keep his promise to you that your seed shall be as many as the stars of heaven?” He answered that suggestion by saying to himself, “Jehovah will see to it!” As he went upon that painful journey, with his dearly beloved son at his side, the suggestion may have come to him, “How will you meet Sarah when you return home, having imbrued your hands in the blood of her son? How will you meet your neighbours when they hear that Abraham, who professed to be such a holy man, has killed his son?” That answer still sustained his heart— “Jehovah will see to it! Jehovah will see to it! He will not fail in his word. Perhaps he will raise my son from the dead; but in some way or other he will justify my obedience to him, and vindicate his own command. Jehovah will see to it.” This was a quietus to every mistrustful thought. I pray that we may drink into this truth, and be refreshed by it. If we follow the Lord’s bidding, he will see to it that we shall not be ashamed or confounded. If we come into great need by following his command, he will see to it that the loss shall be recompensed. If our difficulties multiply and increase so that our way seems completely blocked up, Jehovah will see to it that the road shall be cleared. The Lord will see us through in the way of holiness if we are only willing to be thorough in it, and dare to follow wheresoever he leads the way.’’

I will be content in every circumstance.

Forever enough, always enough, more enough

Every circumstance for me feels like too it’s too many a times to be content. Just last week, something unexpected happened in relation to our ward allocation at the hospital and this lyric gnawed at my heart. I was emotionally destabilized at the changes in the ward allocation and spent a better part of the afternoon asking God ‘Really? Really now?’

It wasn’t a life-or-death moment. Surely some may even say I was being petty but right there when my heart was crushed, God provided comfort, release and joy in that moment when I desperately needed it. He saw me!

I pray that we may all prioritize Jesus, because ”more than what He can give us and what we receive from Him, He is our highest pleasure, our greatest treasure, our sole pursuit and our crown jewel.’’ That’s a quote from John Musyimi’s book, A counterfeit Gospel, that I read back in 2018.

So even as we listen to this song, I hope that as you sing ‘Jireh, you are enough’ this may be true for you.

Knowing that God is a God who sees you where you are, loves you deeply, not more than He did a second ago and not less than He will in a few seconds from now. May that comfort fill your heart just as it has been for me. The one who sees. Jireh.