Does the faith of Abraham amaze you? Although earlier in Genesis we saw him taking matters into his own hands in an effort to see God's promises fulfilled, Genesis 22 and 24 are overflowing with examples of unwavering trust in the Lord. Seeing God's promises carried through to completion does that. It strengthens our faith for the next trial. We recall God's faithfulness in the past, and we know that our unchanging God will be faithful again.
I wept throughout my reading today. I can lack faith even with such smaller asks from the Lord. I can hesitate, doubt, be anxious and wonder. What if the direction I'm sensing isn't from God or my response is a possible misguided moment of devotion?
Abraham heard repeatedly from the Lord (at least four times in Genesis) that he would have innumerable descendants. In Genesis 21:12 God tells Abraham that Isaac is the son through whom his descendants will be counted. Abraham believed God's promise. If Isaac was to become a patriarch of the Jewish nation, Abraham trusted God to keep His covenant, and even though the current ask of sacrificing his son seemed like it would be the one thing that would make the fulfillment of this promise impossible, Abraham's obedience and faith remained. We see God's ultimate test of faith, and Abraham's ultimate expression of it.
The writer of Hebrews provides further insight. In Hebrews 11:19 it says, "He (Abraham) believed that if Isaac died God would bring him back to life again; and that is just about what happened, for as far as Abraham was concerned, Isaac was doomed to death, but he came back again alive!"
Abraham not only believed in his heart, but he spoke of his confidence in the Lord. We too must use the language of trust. The dictionary defines the word "will" as expressing inevitable events. God's word to us becomes unavoidable, inescapable and unpreventable. If God has spoken it, it will surely happen. In the time between receiving the pronouncement and the realization of the promise we need to use the vocabulary of faith.
What promise has God made to you that is becoming dim? Are your words and thoughts filled with uncertainty and doubt? Today I challenge us to use the vocabulary of faith. With the prophet Isaiah let's say with assurance, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation." (Isaiah 12:2)
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