He Will Provide
The story of Abraham and his son Isaac begins in Genesis chapter 22. If you don’t know the story, it’s not the longest passage but it's packed into 19 verses and the whole chapter is presented like the climax of a thriller movie. The backstory to this is Abraham was given a son through his wife sarah. She was past childbearing age, making Isaac a complete miracle from the Lord to fulfill the promise to Abraham he had made. That through Abraham, his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. After waiting patiently for the Lord to fulfill his promise after 30 + years, God gave him Isaac. Only God.
Like the title of this passage in chapter 22 “Abraham Tested” we too are tested in our faith. God said to Abraham “Take your son, your only son, whom you love— Isaac— and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” It doesn’t say what Abraham was feeling or thinking next, it says early the next morning he set off for this journey. Something I love about this story is how there are no details or dialog with what Abraham was thinking. He was obedient to the Lord and did what he said.
When they reached the place God told him about, Abraham built the alter, bound his son Isaac, and laid him on the alter. It says in verse 10 “Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from Heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, becuase you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
In verse 13 it goes onto saying after that Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by the horns, he then went over, grabbed the ram, and sacrificed it in place of his son. Abraham called that place he was called to ‘The Lord Will Provide’ and said (verse 14) “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” Because of this, what Abraham has done, the angel of the Lord said (verse 17) “I will surely bless you and your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.”
There’s so much to unpack in this short passage. We could talk about the crazy fact that Issac was even born, that’s a miracle. We could talk about the fact Abraham was obedient to the Lord, to the words spoken, to the point of sacrificing his own son not knowing what would come of it. Or we could talk about how after all of that, through the heat of the moment, through the testing Abrahams faith, he provided a way out. What I want to focus on is trusting the voice of God when he speaks and what happens when we do just that.
I’m sure there have been moments in your life when God calls you to do something hard. When his voice is so clear to a task that seems impossible. But see where Abraham was tested, God provided. He does the exact same for you and I. Where do we grow the most? Where things are hard, where life seems difficult, and where there seems to be no way out. Where there is hardship, you either depend on God or do it yourself. If God has placed you in a certain season of life where it just seems like you’ve been stuck running around in circles, ask yourself the question if you’re willing to go to the mountain, this hard place, to lay down what God has asked you to.
I want to ask the question of how far are you willing to go, how much are you willing to sacrifice, and what are you willing to sacrifice for the sake of Gods glory to be revealed in your life. Nowadays, we love to be comfortable, at least I do. But what God has shown me after hearing, listening, and following through even though it's so scary... he has proven himself so faithful.
This thought of following through with everything God has called you to, easy or hard, knowing He will never leave you and always give you a way out, should place a fire in your heart to go wherever he calls. There should be no fear in where he calls. Be confident in where he calls. Be confident when he speaks because I promise you, God will never forsake you and he will always provide a way out just as he did on that mountain for Abraham. All Abraham had to do was trust and look what was fulfilled through his obedience... we exist. Imagine the impact on the generations to come if we said yes to whatever God called us to.
I don’t know what season you’re in, but I know everyone can always relate to putting their trust in God. I think we can walk through this life 1 of 2 ways: Worrying about life and what’s to come or truly being set free by the fact that God has a perfect plan for your life. There was one day where it just clicked in my brain, one of those, “okay, I actually get it now” moments. I've prayed "Let your will be done" a million times over but one day, God made it come to life in my heart not just my mind. When I pray, I pray that Gods will would be done for my life. The day it clicked was liberating. I said to myself, if I asked for the Lords will to be done when I wake, then when I go to bed, the hardships and conflicts of this life were all part of his will. And the question I was presented with was did I let it shape me or break me? The things we ask for in a day, if it doesn’t happen, rest in the fact that Gods will was done. It says in Psalm 139:16-17 "Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!" Everyday you can go to bed knowing that through the pain, the joy, the heartaches, the stretching + molding and the roughness of life are all part of his will. We just have to look at how we handle what God gives us each day. What are you trying to teach me from this God? Humble yourself. I dare you to ask this question and see what God says because I promise you, he will bless you in return. It says "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12) Read that verse again.
This day, the pain you go through, God has not left you, you've let the enemy run with your heart. I believe God is calling you back to run to this mountain and surrender everything to him. Because at this mountain you've been climbing, God will give you a way out, just as he promises. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 says "So, if you think you standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful: he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it." And if you read that and think, I can't, I've asked and he still hasn't. DEATH gives way to victory. Put to death what is keeping you from Jesus by seeking his face. How are we supposed to hear God if we don't know what his voice sounds like? Seek him by reading his word. Don't know where to start? Proverbs, Psalms, Ephesians, Romans; Just start.
Coming back to what God did for Abraham because he was obedient to the hardest call on his life, he blessed him and fulfilled the promise. All Abraham had to do was trust and bring his sacrifice to the Lord.
What has God been calling you to sacrifice? Are you unwilling to change your attitude at work? Are you unwilling to set yourself aside and love the person who’s hurt you most? Are you unwilling to say sorry? Do you want to be set free from sin but don't know how? Say just as Abraham did "Here I am Lord." And He will rush in.
What do you need to lay down and sacrifice for the sake of Gods glory in your life?
