Sacrifice of Faith

Children at birthday parties are always in awe of the gifts they

receive as well as the kids invited to the party. When all the gifts are

opened the invited children always seem to want to play with the new

toys. The birthday child wants to share their new toys and yet in some

ways doesn’t want to. They’re scared their new toys might get broken

and they want to play with them first. Some of the gifts sometimes have

been desired for a while by the child, and it’s difficult to share

something you have waited for. It’s also the same for us. We feel it’s

difficult to share something we have just received when we have

desired it for so long and finally have it.

Abraham was a man in the Bible known for his incredible faith in

the Lord and was willing to do whatever God told him to do. Abraham

was promised a son, and that promise was fulfilled when he and his

wife Sarah were of old age. Sarah gave birth to a son naming him Isaac

which means “He laughs.” Sarah was able to give birth at 90 years of

age which is a wonderful testament to what God can and will do. I can

only imagine the joy they felt when their son was born. Isaac came with

a promise from God Himself that Abraham’s descendants would be as

numerous as the stars in the sky. The whole story is truly amazing.

Then sometime later in their lives, God tested Abraham by saying

to him, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac whom you love, and go to

the region of Moriah and sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one

of the mountains I will tell you about." Can you imagine being given

the fulfillment of a promise God made to you, only to have it taken

away? To take your only child and sacrifice them? I'm sure Abraham

was grieved beyond anything we could ever imagine. He was obedient

and told his servants one day, "Stay here with the donkey while I and

the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to

you." Abraham's heart in the natural had to have been ripped out, but

in the spirit, he obeyed God and had the attitude of worship and faith.

Did Abraham believe that when he said, "We will come back to you"

that Isaac would be alive? Who knows for sure what was going through

his mind. I’m sure though he kept thinking “God, you promised me this son and said my descendants would be as the stars- how can this be

if he is dead?”

Even when Isaac asked his father “Where is the lamb for the burnt

offering?’ Abraham replied, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the

burnt offering.” Abraham then goes in faith and prepares the altar. He

takes his beloved young son, lays him on the altar to be sacrificed. He

then took his knife raising it up and instantly God intervened. God said

at that moment. “Do not lay a hand on the boy. 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 then saw a ram caught in

the thicket by its horns and knew it was provided by God. He took the

ram and sacrificed it in place of his son and named that place “The

Lord will provide.”

God is not asking us to sacrifice our children unto Him, but He

does want all of us. He wants to know above anything or anyone that

He is first and foremost. That we will worship and obey Him in all

things. Abraham never spoke negatively of God about His command-

he just obeyed. It doesn't mean he wasn't grieved over the command,

or even understood it, but he fully by faith obeyed. He had faith in his

God and God rewarded him. The story ends with the two of them

coming back just as Abraham had said!

What is God asking from you as a sacrifice of faith unto Him? Will

you trust, obey, and have the faith He will provide even if it looks like it

will never be? God will test each of us and sometimes that test comes

in ways that can stretch our faith. Please know God is faithful and will

provide exactly what you need at the exact time you need it. Have the

faith of Abraham and what God brings you as He is your provider!

From Gardens of Splendor by Gina Burns