If you’ve been a believer for any length of time, you likely know the story of Abraham and how God tested him. God promised Abraham that beginning with his son, Isaac, he would birth a nation so numerous that it would be almost impossible to count. But when Isaac was still a boy, God told Abraham to sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Abraham obeyed, trusting God, even when it seemed as though God was breaking his promise through the sacrifice of Abraham’s son whom he loved greatly. As he was about to sacrifice the boy, in Genesis 22:12 an angel of the Lord says:
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Could this be a foreshadowing of what God would do for us through his son, his only son? I believe that it is. God tested Abraham and he passed the test through obedience over reason. Jesus was sent to die for our sins and he was obedient to God as well. It just makes me think, if God were to test me by asking me to sacrifice something I loved greatly, would I pass the test? Would you?
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When we read the story of Abraham and how God tested him by telling him to sacrifice his son, we have the benefit of knowing how it ends. And in some respects, I believe that Abraham did as well. He knew that God made a promise and that God would keep his promise. He didn’t know exactly how he would, but he knew that somehow Isaac would be used to birth a nation just as God had promised. And for that, God credited that act of faith, as righteousness. Likewise, we need to trust God over circumstance. God doesn’t lie. He keeps his promises. So even if our circumstances seem extreme, our faith needs to trump our reason because God can turn any situation into a blessing. Yes, I said it… any situation.