As Abraham listened, he heard what sounded like the breaking of a promise. God had told him that by Sarah, he would have a son. And through that son would come descendants as numerous as the stars of the sky and sand of the seashore. How could God ask him to offer his son as a sacrifice?
Do you find yourself hearing the Lord’s instructions to offer back to Him all that He has given and promised to you? This is the test of faith. Genesis 22:1 says, “Sometime later, God tested Abraham’s faith.” This test comes not before you have seen God move on your behalf but after. It comes when you think all is as it should be. But the test isn’t just to see if you will continue to believe God but do you still believe his promise in the face of losing what you now have.
Abraham had waited for twenty-five long years to have Isaac. But now Isaac was here. He was grown. The promise seemed to be playing out just as promised. So why would the test of faith come now? Because now you have something to lose. The test of faith was not just to receive but to hold fast to it in the face of having it and now losing it. Would he still believe God if God took the very thing that held the answer?
Abraham’s faith was such that whether he was waiting for Isaac or if God was taking Isaac, He was still going to fulfill his promise. Abraham’s faith said, no matter what I don’t have or I did have, God will still do everything He said He would do, even if that means resurrecting what is dead. The bottom line is that He believed God, period.
Today, be determined to stand. Stand firm on the words you have received from the Lord. Don’t turn loose even in the face of loss. Remember that God is not a man that He should lie. He is God Almighty! And He will do exactly what He said He would do.
Jaime Luce
