Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Psalm 36:5
I learned that “Godwink” carries a definition thanks to a Hallmark movie. Yourdictionary.com and the movie define it as an event or personal experience, often identified as coincidence, so astonishing that it is seen as a sign of divine intervention, especially when perceived as the answer to prayer. SQuire Rushnell coined the term, and it has gained widespread usage. Personal descriptions of when God shows up in our lives can help alert our senses to His presence. Mine is in the name of this blog; a tidbit. But no matter the word you use, it depicts God’s faithfulness in our lives.
Realistically and at the human level, we are deeply needy people. On any given day, we require emotional and spiritually uplifting, financial help and reassurance, physical needs met, or resources related to an emergency or crisis. We rely on Godwicks and tidbits, God and His faithfulness for comfort and peace. The story of Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22 is a profound example of God’s faithfulness. God asks Abraham to kill his only son, and he offers no objections. One can only imagine how agonizing the three-day journey was for Abraham and the feeling he experienced on the third day when he looked up and saw the place in the distance (vs. 4). All the while, as they climbed the mountain, carrying the knife and the fire, Abraham’s heart must have been breaking. At the same time, he believed in God’s faithfulness. Hebrews 11:19 says, “Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again.” So, he trusted that God had a plan and would remain faithful to His promises. When young Isaac asked where the sacrifice was, Abraham reassured his son by replying that God would provide (vs. 8). And while Abraham may have been calm and collected for the sake of Isaac as he laid him on the altar, I can’t imagine that Isaac was not frantic when he realized he was the burnt offering, which made it all the more difficult as he raised the knife that would slay his son. But God looked upon Abraham’s obedience, and the angel of the Lord called out to him and commanded him to stop (vs. 11-12). Then Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horn. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord-Will-Provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided” (Genesis 22:13-14).
In Hebrew, “The Lord-Will-Provide”is Jehovah-Jireh. The Lord always provides. Like Abraham, we may think we know God’s plan. God didn’t have to raise Isaac from the dead because God had another plan. He shows up and demonstrates his faithfulness to us through Godwicks or tidbits. But we must believe He will always show up, and His plan will be perfect for us. This account has a much deeper meaning, for Abraham’s son was a symbol of Christ. But this tidbit is to help us to be thankful for God’s faithfulness and always providing for us. As you celebrate Thanksgiving, bring to the table remembrances of Jehovah-Jireh and His faithfulness in your life. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.