BY: JESS HAMMOND
“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.” Early the next morning…. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance… 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, 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.” …”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. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven,“Abraham! Abraham!” “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said…. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham looked up and 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
Has God ever asked you to trust Him?
Has He ever asked you to give Him something (or someone) precious to you?
Ten years ago, our daughter Rileigh was born. She had a rough start. It took the medical staff seven minutes to get her to take her first breath, which immediately sent her to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). She seemed to be doing well by the next day, and as we were waiting for her to be released to our room, the doctor came with more news. During their routine assessments, they heard a heart murmur (a disruption in her heart rhythm) and ordered an echocardiogram. The procedure determined she had a heart defect called, Tetralogy of Fallot. In that moment, we were flooded with thoughts, emotions, fears, and wondering what this meant for her life. In the midst of it all, we knew God was asking us to put her into His hands and trust Him completely with her life. He impressed on our hearts that He loved her more than we ever could and no matter what, she was safe in His care.
This is a daily choice. Whether it’s our children, our own lives, or with circumstances beyond our control, we must realize that secure in His hand is the safest place to be.
We read how Abraham responded to God’s call with obedience and faith. He is now known as the father of our faith because of how he lived — fully surrendered to God and His leading. There are many pivotal moments in Abraham’s life, but Genesis 22 is a moment like no other. Hebrews explains that when he was asked to sacrifice Isaac, his faith was so strong that he knew God would even raise him from the dead because of the promise on Isaac’s life (Hebrews 11:19). Scholars believe Isaac was in his 20’s when this took place, he was not a small child. This means he followed in his dad’s footsteps with confidence and submission to God by participating willingly.
God painted a perfect picture of what He would do to offer a ransom for our lives. Centuries later, on that same mountain, “The Lord will Provide,” another life was prepared for sacrifice but, this time, there was no ram in the thicket to take its place. Our Heavenly Father would take His only Son, Jesus, to Calvary to fulfill the promise He made. Jesus would carry the cross on His back, and willingly lay his life down for our redemption. The shedding of His blood would cover our sins once and for all. This moment in Abraham’s life also shows us just how much Christmas and the Cross cost the Father. We can only imagine what this moment would have felt like for Abraham, and I think the Father wants us to know that Jesus’s sacrifice cost him more than we can imagine.
This Christmas, as we reflect on Christ’s birth, let us always remember that He was born to die. This miraculous and divine plan that had been in the works since the Garden of Eden had now become flesh for you and me.
As you take in this story of divine provision, be encouraged and strengthened in your faith that you serve the One who has been after your heart for all of history, and He paid a very high price to bring you back to Him.
“When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”
Romans 5:6
Daily Challenge:
Do you trust Him to hand over what’s most precious to you?
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