THE SOURCE

Have you ever stopped to really look at everything around you? At any given time we see so many resources and life. Think about all the animals in the world (at least the ones we know about,) all the plants, all the trees, all the rivers, all the oceans, all the land, all the nations, all the buildings, all the means of transportation, all the universe. When I stop and think about all the things I see, it blows my mind that my God (Adonai) is the Creator of it all. Everything starts with God and everything stops with God. Recently, I was piecing together some of the elements in the Bible and I realized how God uses the resources and people He created to reveal Himself. He is the Source. 

I know it’s so easy and tempting to put our hope and trust in worldly things as our source. It’s easy to see our jobs, spouses, education, money, houses, cars, friends, contacts, or even our appearance as our source. However, these things are just resources or natural resources and they can be taken away at any time. The Bible gives us constant revelations revealing that God is the source. There are some stories in the Bible that show us God is the source and He has total authority over everything, every being, and every situation. He is the One who gives us what we need. He can use a source to provide one thing and use that same source to provide another thing.

For example, God has used a rock, water, wind, waves, food, land, and even bad situations to reveal He is our source not the actual object the resource comes through.

God uses the rock & water as a resource: 

Exodus 17:6 NASB

6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.” And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

1 Corinthians 10:1-4 NASB

10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and they all passed through the sea; 2 and they all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and they all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.

God uses the water as a resource: 

Exodus 14:21-31 NASB

21 Then Moses reached out with his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the sons of Israel went through the midst of the sea on the dry land, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left. 23 Then the Egyptians took up the pursuit, and all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen went in after them into the midst of the sea. 24 But at the morning watch, the Lord looked down on the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and brought the army of the Egyptians into confusion. 25 He caused their chariot wheels to swerve, and He made them drive with difficulty; so the Egyptians each said, “Let me flee from Israel, for the Lord is fighting for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Reach out with your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” 27 So Moses reached out with his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal state at daybreak, while the Egyptians were fleeing right into it; then the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen, Pharaoh’s entire army that had gone into the sea after them; not even one of them remained. 29 But the sons of Israel walked on dry land through the midst of the sea, and the waters were like a wall to them on their right and on their left.

Additionally, the ark kept Noah and his family alive; while the water was used by God to wipe out a generation. 

Genesis 6:12-13, 7 & Genesis 7:6

12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. 7 The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family, because I have found you righteous in this generation.

6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark to escape the waters of the flood.

God has authority over the wind, waves, & demons:

Luke 8: 23 -25 NASB

23 But as they were sailing along He fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended on the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. 24 They came up to Jesus and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And He got up and rebuked the wind and the surging [m]waves, and they stopped, and it became calm. 25 And He said to them, “Where is your faith?” But they were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “Who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”

Luke 8: 29-33 NASB

29 For He had already commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break the restraints and be driven by the demon into the desert. 30 And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; because many demons had entered him. 31 And they were begging Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. 32 Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding there on the mountain; and the demons begged Him to permit them to enter the pigs. And He gave them permission. 33 And the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

Luke 8: 41 – 42, 49-50, 53 -55

41 And a man named Jairus came, and he was an official of the synagogue; and he fell at Jesus’ feet, and began urging Him to come to his house; 42 for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was dying. 

49 While He was still speaking, someone *came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher anymore.” 50 But when Jesus heard this, He responded to him, “Do not be afraid any longer; only believe, and she will be made well.”

53 And they began laughing at Him, knowing that she had died. 54 He, however, took her by the hand and spoke forcefully, saying, “Child, arise!” 55 And her spirit returned, and she got up immediately; and He ordered that something be given her to eat.

God supplied food:

Exodus 16: 4, 8

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction.

8 And Moses said, “This will happen when the Lord gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the Lord hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him.

Lastly, I wanted to point out, God used Egypt as a resource to raise Joseph as a commander to preserve food and prepare for the famine; which preserved the seed of Israel and fed the multitudes. However, Egypt later became the land where Israel were slaves. Once again, God supplied resources through Moses and the plagues to reveal who He was; while bringing Israel out of the land of slavery.

We are living in difficult times and as it gets harder we know God is still present and He is the ultimate source. Everything comes from Him. Everything starts and stops with Him. He has full authority over everything behind the scenes.

Stay strong my brothers and sisters and know God is YOUR Source! We can trust and depend on Him –  I think He likes it that way.