Our faith is shaken when our dreams are shattered. When our plans crumble and God seems to have taken us away from our dreams, we may find it too difficult to trust in God’s infinite wisdom. When our experiences do not match our expectations, we begin to question what we have long believed! In the midst of profound struggles, we have no answers, just questions and that’s the time our faith wavers. But it is very shocking to find Abraham resolving to depend on God and rely on Him and His promises at a time when it is impossible to trust God in normal circumstances. The thought for our reflection this Friday morning is, “Our God is Looking for Those Who are Resolved to Guard Their Relationship With Him and Rely on Him in All Circumstances”.
He said to his servants,
“Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will be back to you”
(Genesis 22:5)
Normally when we reach the point of doing something we are not happy to do, we become nervous or agitated emotionally. But as we read the story of Abraham going to the mountain to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, we do not find his resolve in anyway weakening.
When Abraham drew near the appointed place, he left behind his servants and proceeded alone, “together” with this son
(Genesis 22:6).
How was that possible to Abraham?
1. That was possible because of Abraham’s unshakeable RELIANCE on God.
The servants would not have understood what was happening. But Abraham’s assurance to them that he and his son “will worship and then will be back to them”. It appears as if Abraham was convinced that the test would not necessarily lead to the death of his son. He knew that God had a plan to bless and not to harm his son Isaac. So he was confident that he would return with his son after worshipping God. That was because he relied totally on God’s promises and obediently followed His instructions. At times to stress and difficulties, are we relying on ourselves or our wealth or other human form of assistance or on God?
2. That was possible because of Abraham’s unshakeable RESOLVE to guard his relationship with God.
We know that God had instructed Abraham to sacrifice Isaac as a sacrificial offering and he was ready to do that exactly. Abraham is here portrayed as someone who is willing to forgo every aspect of the promised blessing including the one of becoming “Father of many nations” for the sake of his relationship with God. Why? Because, to Abraham, all other blessings were subordinate to his relationship with God who had led him faithfully till then. Are other relationships or studies, or o jobs or businesses or ministry responsibilities coming between us and our relationship with God?
Relying on God and resolving to guard our relationship with God may at times require throwing off everything that hinders us from being faithful to Him. That may even include relationships which we think may stand between us and God. That reminds us of Apostle Paul’s words:
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord”
(Romans 8:38-39).
Blessed day.