Running like a program in the backrop at our church, the Chesapeake Vineyard, has been this dialogue on perceiving. Quite a few members of our church family have shared their thoughts both privately with me and publicly regarding this kernel of a concept which I believe can be liberating for Christians — especially evangelical and/or charismatic Christians who have been strongly steeped in faith and believing.

Last summer, a few months after I re-started this discussion, one of the speakers in our church, Paul Moseley, shared about the etymology of the greek (and english) word “provision” — that it is literally “pro” “vision”, to “see” (or perceive) ahead. Well, I’ve been pondering that thought for quite some time. Since that time, our nation and the world have changed dramatically, and our need for provision — literally to be able to see ahead — has greatly increased.

Whether this is actually the worst economic times since the Great Depression I’m not sure, but it is clear that these are tenuous times at best. It’s as if we all know that, as a society, we kind of have this coming. We’ve lived the high life, running up debt as individuals and as a nation, living off our ever-increasing equity in real estate and the stock market. Now, it’s time to pay up and there just isn’t enough to go around to even make the down payment!

So, as we have launched into this new year, with a new president and much uncertainty in the air, I have been focusing on understanding and properly perceiving this idea of provision. What is it? Why does the Bible say those who don’t “provide” for their families are worse than unbelievers? Does God really promise to provide? What resources has God pro-vided for us to pro-vide for our needs and the needs of those in our charge? Is God a trustworthy provider?

I’m still formulating my thoughts and am tentatively on the schedule to share over a couple of weeks as part of a series, “Finding God’s Provision In Challenging Times.” The discipline of actually preparing a message or two will force me to organize my thoughts and hopefully tie a few key insights together. For now, I’ll say that, once again, I’m totally blown away that this concept of “perceiving” is right there in the center of one of the most crucial theological concepts. For example, how did God reveal Himself in the defining moment of the life of the Father of Faith? As Jehovah Jireh, God the Provider. Or maybe Abraham encountered God the Perceiver… the One who had already provided (seen) the lamb even when the lamb was out of Abraham’s view.

The Eternal — who stands outside of time — is at the very core of his nature our Provider because He sees ahead. This understanding — of God the Perceiver/Provider — can free believers to live a life of worry-free trust and literally reach for the stars, knowing that Jehovah Jireh has already seen ahead for them. By perceiving provision we can also move beyond the theological tug o war between free will and predestination towards an understanding (perception) of God’s providence. Because “providence” simply means…. you guessed it…. to “see ahead.” In a very real way, the lamb was there all along! Stay tuned….