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Dr Nick Ohizu The Voice of God
As we bring the gratitude series to a close. I bring you the fourth dimension of gratitude which addresses gratitude for what God is yet to do.
This level of gratitude guarantees divine provision for the future as it cements the relationship, we have with a God that will always provide. Many people struggle with daily provision; failing to figure out where their next meal will come from. Thanking God for what He is yet to do puts pressure on God to deliver as He is a God that loves to be challenged. Gratitude for the unseen reveals the faith we have in a God that will provide.
This side of God was revealed by Abraham when he was leading his son Isaac to be sacrificed as we can read in the following scriptures. “But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So, the two of them went together” [Genesis 22:7-8, NKJV].
When God told Abraham to go and sacrifice his only son, Abraham was convinced within himself that even if he did, God will raise Isaac from the dead [Hebrews 11:19]. Abraham had no idea that God was testing his trust and dependency on Him and what makes the situation so difficult was that Abraham had waited for 100 years to receive the promise of a child. This reveals to us that the difficulties we face sometimes might be God testing us and the promises of God might be slow but sure to come.
At the point of Isaac asking the million-dollar question, his father could have told him the truth that he was the sacrifice, which might have prompted Isaac to run away. Or he could have lied to him by telling him that he already sent the lamb ahead of them.
In what seems to be the most difficult moment of his life, Abraham chose to uphold his integrity and trust in a God that he knows can provide in the future and told his son that God will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.
This answer was not just a statement of faith but an expression of gratitude to God for what he was convinced that God was going to do. God requesting that a man sacrifice his son is already a questionable act of worship as it connotes the highest level of wickedness. Every normal human being at this point will not be defending a God that wants the death of a child, but Abraham through this act of overwhelming confidence in God went a step further to teach his son at the point of death that gratitude to God for what he’s yet to do is the only way to reveal our unwavering dependency on Him and this won him the title “The father of faith”.
God did not only provide a lamb, but went further to display his ability to do exceedingly and abundantly above what we could ask or imagine by providing a ram.
“Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So, Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son.” [Genesis 22:13, NKJV]. Giving God thanks for the things he is yet to do unlocks the treasures of the things that eyes have not seen. We are always in the middle of one test or another and our ability to pass the tests of our faith depends on our attitude in the middle of the tests. The best attitude to adopt in such season is gratitude and this will anchor your faith in a God that will provide the lamb for the sacrifice.
Whatsoever you are going through right now cannot compare to the glory that will be revealed in you. It was under this enormous pressure that Abraham called God JEHOVAH JIREH, which a lot of scholars have interpreted to be a Hebrew word that translates to ‘the Lord shall provide’. However, after a thorough scrutiny of the origin of the word. It has come to light that the word takes its origin from the Aramaic language and when translated connotes “The God that makes provision before the need arises. Based on this revelation, we can rest on this assurance that we are serving a God that makes provision before the need arises. The scarcities of life will never be solved by complain and murmuring.
It got the children of Israel to wander around in the desert for 40 years. However, gratitude for what God has not done has provided everything needed; even the resurrection of the dead as revealed by Jesus beside the tomb of Lazarus. “Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying.
And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”[ John 11:41-42, NKJV]. Brethren, it is the prayer of gratitude for what God had not done that resurrected Lazarus. I believe the power in that prayer of gratitude will resurrect every dead situation in your life. Just stand up and begin to thank Him right now.
Dr Nick Ohizu is the senior pastor of The Empowerment Ministries and The President of the Empowerment School of Wealth both located in Graniteside Harare. He is a successful entrepreneur with vast experience in leadership, mentorship, business and marriage consultancy with a mandate from God to change lives and bless people.
He can be contacted on 0772304917.
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