Total Trust
Grand Sweep Daily Reading: Genesis 22, 23; Psalm 16 Psalm 16:11 (NIV)
11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Genesis 22:7-8 (NIV)
7 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?”
8 Abraham answered, "God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.
Good morning!
It was a long walk from Abraham’s home in Beersheba to Mount Moriah. Young Isaac held his father’s hand, as they traveled together along the way. What an incredible faith Abraham possessed. Young Isaac had total trust, not only in his earthly father, but in God. The faith of a child is a precious treasure. Isaac was his father’s priceless gem, the crown that had been promised to him by the Lord. Abraham loved his son more than he loved life itself. But Abraham loved the Lord even more, and he was willing to obey His command, even when it meant giving up his precious son.
Abraham became a parent at the tender age of eighty-six years, when Hagar bore Ishmael. The Lord kept His Word by giving Abraham a son with Sarah. Abraham was changing Isaac’s swaddling clothes at one hundred years of age. Can you imagine having an infant to care for at this juncture of your life? I am forty-eight years old and a proud grandparent of four. I anticipate that I may have the joy of becoming a great-grandparent in my late sixties or early seventies. When I turn one hundred years of age, I’m hoping to hold my great, great grandchildren in my arms. I would not want to even consider being a first-time parent at this stage of my life. Would you? After experiencing the birth of a son you had longed for, Isaac must have been the apple of Abraham’s eye. Can you imagine the torment Abraham must have felt on the three day journey to Mount Moriah? He was determined to obey God, even when the sacrifice seemed unbearable. Isaac, trusting his father implicitly, did not run when his father tied his hands and feet and placed him on the altar. Young Isaac was willing to become the sacrificial lamb, if the Father asked him to be. This child possessed more faith in his tender, young life than most of us enjoy after years of walking with the Lord. Every time I read this account in scripture, I am overwhelmed by the faith walk of Abraham and Isaac.
Letting go of our earthly treasure is a difficult thing to do, but it is not impossible. The Father wants to know how much we really love Him. Will we choose to obey Him, even when it hurts? What would you be willing to give up for the Lord, if He asked? Do you trust Him enough to let Him lead you into unfamiliar territory?
When Isaac asked his father about the missing sacrifice, Abraham said, “God Himself will provide the Lamb.” May the Lord give us greater faith to seek and know our precious sacrificial Lamb, Jesus Christ. He willingly laid His life down, taking our sin upon Himself, and freeing us from death and eternal separation. He died and rose again for you, and because He lives again, we can walk the path of life eternal. Just how much do you really trust God? Are you willing to wait upon the Lord?
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
www.songofdeborah.com
Pray for: faith to trust God with your life more and more each day.
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© Copyright 2007, Deb Spaulding
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