The story of Abraham offering his son as a sacrifice pulls at our heartstrings. We simply could not imagine. Let’s think about it for a minute, though. Scripture tells us that God called Abraham to offer his only son – the one he had waited for – to test his faith. Why is that? We can’t be certain but we can speculate. God was birthing a nation. His nation. And the father of this nation would be Abraham. But for him to be this great patriarch, he would need to be obedient to God no matter what. He would need to have a strong – unbreakable – faith. God wanted to know where his true loyalty lied and if he would trust Him in the most difficult situation. And what better way to do this than to ask him to offer the most precious thing to him – his son. Abraham passed the test and was awarded the promise from years before, “I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others” (Genesis 12:2).
God still tests. He tests our faith. He still asks us to lay things on the altar. He may ask us to sacrifice our children – not in the same way as Abraham – but perhaps to offer them to Him so that they don’t become an idol. He wants to know if we are truly loyal, if we will put Him first no matter what, if we will do what He asks even if we’re all alone or others don’t understand. This morning when I read this story of Abraham, I heard God whisper into my ear: “Sheryl, will you pour everything into this new study – give it your all – even if only 10 people register for your class?” I said, “YES, Lord. I will.” Then it hit me… Perhaps God asked me this so that I could see that I’m not looking for affirmation from others, but I’m looking to glorify God.
I’m guessing that God has tested your faith or may be about to. He wants to know if you will say YES even if you don’t understand, if no one notices, if you have no idea where it’s leading, or no one reciprocates. By testing our faith, He may have something much bigger for us and He wants to know if our faith and trust is strong and will prevail over our insecurities, fears, and doubts. I have a feeling that Abraham had a struggle in his spirit and quiet words to God on the way up the mountain with Isaac in tow. But his loyalty was with God, the One who had given him his precious son to begin with. Where is your true loyalty? Next time you notice your faith being tested, just say YES, Lord!