The Father's Faithfulness and Provision

“You also gave Your good Spirit to teach them, and did not withhold Your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst.” (Nehemiah 9:20)

This is part of the prayer of some of the Levites when they prayed to the Lord. Nehemiah had been allowed by King Artaxerxes to go to Jerusalem to repair the walls of the city, and he’d helped with supplies and letters of authority to do so. (Nehemiah 2) When they had repaired the wall, they celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths and on the fourth day of the feast they confessed their sins and worshipped the Lord. (Nehemiah 8:1-9:3) It was then that some of the Levites stood and prayed. They addressed the Lord and proclaimed His goodness to them.

It was through the Holy Spirit that Moses was able to obtain their release from Egypt and lead them through the desert. The Holy Spirit has not changed. He is still the One who leads us through our desert seasons and give us what we need to overcome. He teaches us and reminds us of God’s promises. “But the Comforter, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you.” (John 14:26) He teaches us and helps us to pray correctly and for what is in line with God’s Will and God’s Word. “Likewise, the Spirit also helps our infirmities. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Romans 8:26) The Holy Spirit works in us with each correction, a step at a time, to change us into the image of Christ. “But the fruit of the Spirit is: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23) The fruit of the Spirit is not something we can develop, work or strive to obtain. It is a work of the Holy Spirit in us, God working in us and changing us into the image of Christ. It is only through the Spirit of God that we have access to God’s wisdom, understanding and knowledge. “And the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah.” (Isaiah 11:2) Before Jesus, the Spirit would rest on a person and receive from God what was needed for a holy incident. But today, the Holy Spirit lives in us and is with us at all times. His wisdom, knowledge and understanding is always available to us. We have access to God’s Truth because the Holy Spirit is always in fellowship with the Father and Jesus. “However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth. For He shall not speak of Himself, but whatever He hears, He shall speak. And He will announce to you things to come.” (John 16:13) The Holy Spirit has power to help us and to give us hope of eternity. “And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13)

When the Israelites were in the desert, He sent manna to feed them. He was faithful to sustain them through their journey until they reached the Promised Land and they were able to provide for themselves. God is faithful today. He is the same and will not change. He will provide for His children what they need. “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19) Notice the word “all.” He will provide all, meaning any and every manner of and or means and always, whatsoever. Sometimes we think so little of our God and don’t believe He is interested in the smallest concerns we have. But He is faithful to answer our cries for our smallest concerns. Jesus reiterated this faithfulness of the Father to provide what we need. “Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, With what shall we be clothed? For the nations seek after all these things. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow; for tomorrow shall be anxious for its own things. Sufficient to the day is the evil of it.” (Matthew 6:31-34) The Lord God is our Father and provides for us as a shepherd provided every need for his sheep. “A Psalm of David. Jehovah is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1)

The Father provided water in a place where there was no water. (Exodus 15:22-27; 17:1-7) He provides us with water, the water that washes us which is His Word. When Paul is writing to the Ephesians about the marriage relationship, he reveals that Jesus washes us with the water of the Word. “...even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that He might present it to Himself as the glorious church, without spot or wrinkle or any such things, but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27) The Word of God nourishes our spirits which yearns for knowledge of our God. It cleanses us and revives us. The Israelites thirsted for water for their bodies. But as children of God with new spirits, the Word of God is water for our thirsty spirits. It’s the Word of God that quenches our thirst for our Lord.

In summary, we see that this portion of Scripture is a foreshadow of Who the Holy Spirit is and what He will do in the lives of men when Jesus has redeemed man. It also illustrates the Father’s provision and faithfulness in the natural and spiritual.

Let us pray:

Father God, thank You for Your faithfulness. You have never failed Your children. You have never failed me. You change not. You are Jehovah Jireh, the Provider of everything I need. You are the Shepherd Who cares for my well-being, in spirit, soul and body and in the natural and spiritual. You are a Father Who loves me and watches over me, sending ministering angels to surround me and to keep me. You help me in my foolishness and in my presumptuousness as I go about my day unaware of the lion that roars to devour me when I am careless. And You are ready to respond to my cries for help, for instruction and wisdom. Thank You Holy Lord for Your Word which is the cleansing water I need. I thank You that it nourishes me, that it instructs me in Your way and that it corrects me when I am in the wrong. I thank You my Lord for Your Spirit Who is always with me to lead me and to teach me the divine secrets of life. I love You my Lord. In the Name of Jesus I pray, amen.