Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him,
"Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied. Then God said,
"Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love,
and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one
of the mountains I will tell you about." Early the next morning Abraham
got up and saddled his donkey…
Genesis 22:1-3 (NIV)
I’m not sure what is harder to believe: God’s request or
Abraham’s compliance. Put yourself in Abraham’s shoes. What would be going
through your head? “Are you kidding me? After all that we’ve been through to
get this boy, now you want you want me to kill him? God, you are wearing me out
on this.” Wouldn’t you feel frustrated and confused?
Abraham didn’t show any of these emotions. He just got up
the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took Isaac up the mountain. Maybe
Abraham believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19).
Maybe Abraham had finally reached a place after several decades where he could
trust God completely. He was at a very different place in his relationship with
God. Abraham knew that he could trust God.
Throughout Abraham’s journey, he faced many failures and
doubts, and he grew in his relationship with God. There really is no other
place for a human to grow. Abraham started out more or less as a blank slate
when he was called by God (Genesis 12). He trusted God enough to move, but he
really didn’t know God. When you begin to pile up Abraham’s problems: Sarai and
the Egyptians, the promise and infertility, Hagar and Ishmael, Sodom and
Gomorrah, doubting and laughter, you would think that Abraham’s faith would be
devastated. Yet, the circumstances of his life provided fertile ground for
Abraham to grow in his relationship with God. If Abraham had waited for things
to calm down before he started growing spiritually, he still might be waiting
today.
What test are you facing today? Is there something that God
is asking you to give up? God will strip away everything that hinders our
dependence on Him. The amount of struggle and drama is really up to you.
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