What about Isaac?

            My family and I were having devotions this morning. It was my son’s turn to share what he had read and he spoke about the story of Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22:1-19). God had told Abraham to take his son Isaac, go to a special place and offer him there as a sacrifice to God. Abraham obeyed and made the three-day journey to the designated place. His son asked him about the lamb for the sacrifice but the most he told him was that God would provide. When they arrived, he bound his son, placed him on the altar and raised his hand with the knife to kill him but the Lord stopped him and allowed him to see and use a ram instead as the sacrifice. God acknowledged Abraham’s willingness to give what he loved to God and consequently blessed him.
         I had heard this story over and over again over the years but for some reason when my son shared it this morning something caught my attention. I had always been made to focus on Abraham’s willingness to give his only son to God and how difficult that must have been. After all this was his only son that he had received from God in his old age when neither he nor his wife could have children. He was precious to him. However, my focus shifted to Isaac. How did he feel? He was familiar with the religious ritual of offering sacrifices because he even asked his father where the lamb for it was. He knew what to expect so he knew that the actual sacrifice was missing. I asked my son to put himself in Isaac’s position and if his father bound him and put him on the altar of sacrifice instead, how would he feel? He immediately replied: “Confused.” And I agreed with him. The Bible doesn’t tell us how Isaac felt but he probably did feel confused. Yet, interestingly, even as he realized what was happening as his beloved father bound him and placed him on the altar … he never once protested or fought against his father! Why? He trusted him. Just as his father trusted God, Isaac trusted his father! 
         There’s a whole deeper level of trust that maybe God wants you to get into. Trusting Him in the little things is easy. Trusting Him in the big things is hard! 
         Recently, God has been bringing me back to that place of trust in Him and He is allowing me to go through challenging situations to bring me to that point of trust. The lessons are not easy, but they are certainly not impossible and with each lesson He has allowed me to come to the point where I either trust and rest in Him or be stressed and frustrated. When I rededicated my life to the Lord in 1992 and before I got married in 1999, God had helped me develop a relationship with Him whereby I was willing to give up anything and anyone for Him. No one and nothing could compare to Him and that was both in theory and in practice. I wanted Him, I was sold out to Him, I enjoyed spending time with Him and in very difficult times, financially and otherwise, I had learned to simply trust Him … and He NEVER failed me. I have since continued that relationship over the years but with less intensity than during those precious times. Now, once again, in recent years, I realize God is bringing me back to that place of intimacy with Him. It is a place of trust that is amazing and He is teaching me once again to keep my eyes focused on Him, to trust His best for my life even when it doesn’t make sense and to let go of everything and everyone so that they are no longer more important to me than He is. Is this easy? A resounding NO!!!! But it’s not impossible and I’m being reminded by Him more and more that it’s worth it.
         What are the situations that God is using in your life to bring you to that point of trust in Him? It may not seem to make sense, it may even be painful or uncomfortable, yet nothing in our life is wasted by God. God uses everything, both good and bad, to perform His best for us. The Bible says that all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). 
          If you want to experience this relationship with someone you can trust without question and who will love you even in your imperfection, just invite Jesus to come into your life, to forgive you of all your sins and to help you to become your best you. And for those who already have that relationship with Him, maybe you too need to get back to that place of intimacy with Him, a place where you feel secure and loved. It’s not as hard as you might think. Just ask for His help and He will walk with you every step of the way.

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