The topic for my devotional this time is, “Do you have enough faith to trust God?” If God were to ask you to do something that seemed immensely risky and seemingly contrary to what he had promised you, would you have enough faith, and believe in him to work it out?
One of my favourite passages in the Bible is Hebrews 11, the chapter on faith. It starts like this, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not see.” (Hebrews 11: 1 KJV). Literally believing we have something we are yet to receive.
This chapter goes on to talk about many of the Old Testament saints, whose faith is accounted to them as righteousness. They only saw at a distance what God was going to do through them, and they died before the promise was fulfilled.
One such person was Abraham, who God said would become the father of many nations. You might want to pause the recording and read Hebrews 11.
We take up our devotional in Genesis 12, where God calls Abram. He was later given the name Abraham by God. He was to leave the land where he was dwelling and go to a land that God would show him. As we proceed through Genesis, again, you might want to pause the recording and read chapters 13-21.
In these chapters, we see God gives Abraham a promise, (In chapter 18 verse 10), that his wife Sarah would bear a son, who would become the father of many nations. To both Abraham, and particularly Sarah, this seemed absurd, as they were both old, and Sarah was barren, but Abraham believed God.
Now we jump into chapter 22. By this time, Isaac has been born to Abraham and Sarah, and is a youth. Let’s look at some of the points that show us that Abraham knew God and trusted him.
“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, 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.”” (Genesis 22: 1-2 NIV). How absurd is that! Isaac is to be sacrificed and so the means of Abraham becoming the father of many nations would seem to be ended. Absurd as this seemed to Abraham, he had a relationship and faith in God that he could trust. So he obeys. Let us read on..
“Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about.” (Genesis 22:3 NIV). Abraham shows his faith by preparing to go to the place where God had commanded him to sacrifice his son? Had he perceived that somehow God would spare Isaac? Whatever he thought, he obeyed? Are we willing to obey God, however absurd it seems?
“On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. “He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”” (Genesis 22: 5-6 NIV). Did he really believe that somehow God was going to bring the two of them back?
“Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together,” (Genesis 22: 6 NIV). It seems as if Isaac is willing to go along with his father, but enquires in the next verse, “who will provide the sacrifice?”
“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 NIV). Is there a hint here that Abraham believed there would be a reprieve, and he would not have to kill Isaac his son? Yet they journeyed on in faith.
“When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.” (Genesis 22: 9 NIV). Again, just note here, Isaac was willing to be laid on the altar.
“Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.” (Genesis 22: 10 NIV). In these two verses, we see not only Abraham’s willingness to slay his son, but his son’s willingness to be sacrificed. Was there a willingness on their part to submit to a greater glory at their expense? It certainly required guts, obedience, and trust in God.
“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, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” (Genesis 22:11-14 NIV). These verses show us that God trusted Abraham, and that even if Isaac did not fully understand, he was willing to submit to his father, that even if he died, somehow God would get the glory.
“The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.” (Genesis 22: 15-19 NIV”
As we looked into this devotional, I hope I provoked your thinking, that even when we do not understand what God asks of us, faith, and trust in him will bring blessing. In other words, when we have a trust in God, however absurd it seems, he will bring about his promises and blessing, and it will be accounted to us as righteousness. The challenge for us today is to have such faith, that however tough life becomes, God has a plan, and he will, when we trust in him, work things out for our blessing and his glory.