The Lord Will Provide

{Genesis 22:13-14}

13 Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.  

14 Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the Lord will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

Picture the scene: Abraham is standing over his son in anguish, ready to sacrifice Isaac, as God had commanded. Abraham turns away to gain composure, clenches his teeth, lifts the knife high into the air and tries to control his quivering hand.

Suddenly, he hears a voice from heaven telling him not to touch his son. Tension instantly melts into relief as he drops the knife, hears it clang against the altar rocks and bursts into joyful tears. Abraham scoops up his boy, kisses his face and praises God.

The Lord's command to sacrifice his only son must have pierced Abraham's ever-faithful heart. Sometimes it feels as if God pierces our hearts too. Especially when we've tried to be faithful but everything seems against us:

• You've  been a good spouse, but divorce papers come in the mail. 
• You've sacrificed your time for a friend, only to be rejected. 
• You deserved the promotion, but it went to someone younger. 
• You diligently saved, only to lose your savings. 
• You raised your teenager in church, but he walks away 

Sometimes I want to scream, "I can't sacrifice anymore, Lord!"
Interestingly, God never wanted Abraham to sacrifice his son. He wanted Abraham's trusting and surrendered heart. It's what the Lord longs for from us too.

Where did Abraham get that kind of trust? From God's promise. Before Isaac was born, God promised Abraham that countless descendants would come through his son. Abraham took God at his word and fully trusted him. The author of Hebrews tells us that Abraham "reasoned that God could even raise the dead" (Hebrews 11:19) if that were necessary to fulfill his promise.

We can make the same choice to trust God. The Bible is full of God's promises. Our challenge is to stand on those promises, surrendering what we think we deserve until the promises are fulfilled.
-Micca Campbell

{Psalm 91:14}
The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.

I will protect those who trust in my name.

 

 {Hebrews 11:17-19}

17 It was by faith that Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice when God was testing him. Abraham, who had received God’s promises, was ready to sacrifice his only son, Isaac,  

18 even though God had told him, “Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted.”

19 Abraham reasoned that if Isaac died, God was able to bring him back to life again. And in a sense, Abraham did receive his son back from the dead.