MARVELOUS FAITH: tested, tried and true.

                                      Credit: Abraham and Isaac by Harold Copping.(1863-1932)                                  

Abraham, known as the father of the faithful

 “Abram, leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land which I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. Your name will be great, and you will be a blessing… all people of the earth will be blessed through you.”

 Abraham was 75 and his wife, Sarah, 65 when God asked him to give up his home to travel into unchartered territory. Abram left, trusting God to guide him, signaling his tremendous faith and courage. But in God’s eyes, Abraham’s faith journey was just beginning. Although Sarah and Abraham had no children, God promised he would be the father of a great nation, to fill him with joy and fresh anticipation, to bless him.

 Yet God hadn’t revealed when Abraham and Sarah would become parents. Years passed without Sarah  conceiving, and doubt crept into their minds. Had Abraham heard God, or had he imagined it? Sarah was long past childbearing. The promise seemed preposterous, and Abraham needed reassurance from God.

 “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield. Your reward will be great.”

 “How can you reward me if you haven’t given me a son? My servant, Eliezer, will inherit my estate.”

“No, Abraham, you will have a son. Go outside; view the night sky. Can you count the stars? The number of your offspring will rival them. Didn’t I promise you this land as your possession?”

 Abraham believed God and he credited it to him as righteousness. His descendants would inherit ample land.

 Twenty-five years marched on before God gave them a son, Isaac, a quarter of a century of waiting and wondering, and then, when Abraham reached one hundred, he held the flesh of his flesh in his arms for the first time. He no longer doubted God because Sarah had given birth at ninety. God had done the impossible.

 The lad grew and Abraham loved him, treasuring God’s long awaited blessing, and in return, Isaac respected and trusted his wise father. Who could Abraham possibly love more than his precious son? God demanded an answer to this question, and he tested Abraham’s faith again.

 “Abraham!”

 “Yes, I’m here.”

 “Take your son, your only son, whom you love and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I have chosen…”

 And the next morning, Abraham loaded wood on his donkey, gathered two servants and his son to set out for the mountain. After three days, Abraham recognized the distant location God had chosen for him to sacrifice Isaac. He instructed the servants to wait with the donkey while he and Isaac went to worship before they returned to them. Did you hear that? Abraham never doubted Isaac was coming home with his son! Even if Isaac died, God would resurrect him. Abraham gave the wood to Isaac while he carried the fire and the knife.

 Isaac looked around him. “Father, where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

“God will provide the lamb, my son.”

 When they arrived at the site God had chosen, Abraham bound his son, placed him on top of the wood on the altar, and raised his knife to slay him. Wait! Was that an angel’s voice?

 “Abraham!”

“Yes?”

 “Don’t kill the lad or harm him. I know you fear God because you have not withheld your only son from me.”

And as Abraham looked, he saw a ram caught in a thicket. He took it and sacrificed it in place of his precious son. He named the mountainside Jehovah Jireh, meaning the Lord will provide.

 If God has ever answered your prayers with a precious gift, how would you respond if he commanded you to give it up? What sacrifice has he asked of you? That's tough, but the more we submit our desires to Jesus and accept his will, the more he will reign in us. His peace and joy will  be ours, and if we are loyal, he will bless us with a testimony worthy of heaven’s reward. When Jesus asks us to deny ourselves, he is asking us to love him more than our families, our homes and our special interests. This story challenges me, and I ask myself if I’m willing to release my grip for Jesus’ sake.

 Abraham accepted this test, confident in his loving God, and obedient, regardless of the cost. After walking with God for over one hundred years, he had proved he must rely on his Creator in every circumstance. He’d learned from his mistakes and doubts, and looked forward to his reward, a nation, a promised land, a Messiah, and a heavenly home. God was gracious when he failed, and he also blessed him when he obeyed and worshipped.

 Abraham’s story is a picture of God’s love for us. God sacrificed his beloved son, Jesus, the Lamb of God, to cancel our sin. By comparison, God spared Isaac because Jesus, the Messiah, descends from Abraham’s lineage, which fulfilled his original promise to Abraham to bless every nation through his offspring. In effect, Isaac rose from the place of death, while Jesus actually rose from the dead. 

 I also find comfort in seeing God’s unwavering sovereignty and faithfulness throughout Abraham’s journey. God’s love for Abraham was constant, and he led him through the role he’d designed in God’s redemptive purpose. Throughout Abraham’s twenty-five-year wait for a son, God’s promise endured, unchanged. I must be patient and wait with faith for God’s perfect timing, believing God is working behind the scenes in my life and for the greater glory of his sovereignty.

You may read this part of Abraham’s story in Genesis 22. In Hebrews 11, he is among the witnesses who lived by faith.