The Bible contains a story of a man named Abraham. He faced many such tests. When he was 75 years of age, God asked him to leave his home and his friends and neighbors.
In Genesis 12:1, God instructed him to travel without a map to the land that God would show him. With that command came the promise of many descendants and the opportunity, through those descendants, to be a blessing to the entire world. Without the slightest hesitation, Abraham obeyed.
Abraham and his family eventually found the land that was promised to them but it must have been hard to believe that the promise of a legacy of descendants would ever be fulfilled.
It wasn’t until Abraham was 100 years of age and his wife, Sarah, was 90, well beyond her child-bearing years, that their son Isaac was born.
But God wasn’t through with his tests of trust yet. When their precious son, Isaac, was a young boy, God directed Abraham to do the unthinkable—to sacrifice him.
What kind of a command is this? Could this instruction come from a kind, loving God? Surely this couldn’t be right! Yet Abraham obeyed.
Faith is about relying on God’s promises regardless of what the situation looks like.
In the end, Abraham did not have to sacrifice Isaac. Instead, God provided a ram for the sacrifice. Why had God allowed His servant to build an altar, tie up his son and place him on the altar? He did it to test Abraham’s faith. God did not want Abraham to sacrifice his son.
Rather, He wanted to see whether Abraham would depend on Him even when doing so defied all human logic. God wanted to know whether Abraham would trust Him with the one person he treasured most—his son. Abraham passed the test.
What an incredible faith Abraham had! How do we even think of having that kind of faith ourselves? Like Abraham, we need to listen for God’s voice as He directs our way.
Abraham was clear concerning what God wanted him to do. As we read the Bible and pray, our direction becomes clearer.
Subscribe FB Podcasts Books Twitter Donate
Black Berry Pin: 286431e3
