Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”
“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.
“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
Genesis
22:7, 8
The
closer I walk with God and study the teachings of Jesus the more the Holy
Spirit reveals to me through the Word about my own personal struggles and
victories. Take this story for example when
God asks Abraham what we all believe to be the unthinkable which was
sacrificing his own son. How ironic that
later God would actually be the one who gave up His Son for all of us.
I
have read this chapter and these particular verses over and over but just last
week they became fresh and exciting to me in an entirely new way. God has asked something big of me which seems
impossible. I know it won’t be easy and
I also don’t have the means for which to do it.
So, I am completely relying upon my trust in Him and His plan and
provision. Don’t get me wrong. This is NOT an easy time but during it, I
have drawn even closer to God and can hear His voice even clearer through daily
messages of encouragement and reassurance.
I
love it that Isaac called to his Father.
That is our first step, too. God
tells us repeatedly to call or cry out to Him yet most of the time we barely
whisper. Next, Isaac asked his Father a
question. God never minds our questions
and since He is the one who created us I don’t believe the way in which our
brains operate is a surprise to Him. He
made us to communicate with Him. Our
Lord is conversational! It all goes back
to being made in His image.
But
now comes the answer which to Isaac didn’t make a lot of sense in the moment but
did a little later in his day. The two
were going up a mountain to give a sacrifice to the Lord but to Isaac it seemed
they didn’t have one. Abraham knew that
God had asked him to sacrifice Isaac, the son he had waited for so long and
loved so much. God was testing to see if
Abraham loved Him more than his own son.
So we read Abraham’s response which explains how “God himself will
provide…” even though in that moment it seemed impossible. In my own moments of waiting I often forget that God is
GOD! I often compare God to a human
which is wrong and actually insulting to my Lord. He is all knowing and the Creator of
all. Because of this, NOTHING is too
hard for Him due to the fact He made it all and rules it all.
Just
as Abraham readies to sacrifice his own son, God provides a ram in the brush
for the offering. See the wording
there. God provides. He always does. Even when it’s not done the
way we believe it should be and in our timing.
Try and wrap your mind around the idea that God actually knew you before
you were created in your mother’s womb, gave you life, loves you, and wants to
bless you by providing for you. After
you accept all this for truth life becomes full of joy you can’t explain but
want to share.
