A Test of a Faithfulness: Abraham
Read: Genesis 22:1-14; 1 Peter 4:13
Remember when your teacher would read off the attendance list, and when your name was called, you responded, “Here”?
That was how Abraham responded one day when God called his name. “Here I am,” Abraham said. His words were clear: I am available.
But Abraham certainly couldn’t have been eager to accomplish the task God had for him: “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering.”
Yet Abraham proceeded to obey the Lord, making preparations for the sacrifice.
Many have wondered what he was thinking at the time. Why would God want his son dead? Wasn’t Isaac the start of Abraham’s many descendants whom God had promised him?
As the two climbed into the hills, Isaac carrying the wood strapped to his back, the boy asked what animal they would use for the sacrifice. “God will provide . . . the lamb,” Abraham said.
And the Lord did indeed provide a sacrifice, a ram caught in the thicket. Many centuries later, God again provided a sacrifice, a Lamb—in the form of a baby. He sent His only Son to earth to save humankind from death. That baby is the Lamb of God. We celebrate His birth on Christmas Day.
Reflect
Sometimes God allows bad things to happen in your life. You can let it draw you closer to Him or harden your heart against God. How have you learned to trust God during dark times?
Pray about It
Ask God to help your family trust in His longer-term plans and provisions when you face painful times.