In our church we have what is called the Come Follow Me program. It is scripture reading in various books that we talk with our families about and learn about in our church meetings each week. This week we are in Genesis Chapters 18-23. I have been listening and reading a few different sources so that I can understand better. The Old Testament can be really hard for me to understand sometimes. I've heard the stories all my life but to apply them to myself, or to study more in depth escapes me a little.
Reading about Abraham going to sacrifice Isaac is one of those moments. It must have taken a magnitude of faith for Abraham to follow that prompting from God. I am afraid I don't have that kind of faith. It is too easy to question the little promptings I do have. Abraham was promised posterity. Isaac was his only son who they didn't even expect to have. His birth itself was a miracle. How easy would it be to say, Lord, it goes against your promises for me to do this. But he and Isaac went willingly and followed what they were told. Does this mean they went blindly? No...But they went with faith and trust.
One video I watched talked about how at the beginning of Genesis 22 verse one. It says "And it came to pass after these things" And they said how important that this was...things weren't written if it wasn't important...writing didn't come as easy as it does now. So "after these things" How many times had God saved, showed and loved on Abraham. Abraham was saved from being a human sacrifice in Egypt. He had miracles left and right and through every aspect of his life. Did he have any doubt after all those things that God would lead him down the right path? Any doubt that everything was in his best interest? I would say no. The rest I still can't wrap my head around so I am going to go with this much for now.
So how can I be more like Abraham? Perhaps start by trusting that what I am prompted to do comes from God and following through. Understanding that I may not see the end, but God does. He sees the end from the beginning.
There is a song I love. It is called Blessings by Laura Story. It talks about how the blessings we are looking for are not always found the way we want to find them. Perhaps the blessing is the raindrops, or the tears. Perhaps those are the ways we find those things that we are praying and hoping for. I hope that I can always take stock of the kindness, tender mercies, miracles and blessings that God blesses me with so that when I come to a huge problem in my life I will be able to say that because of those things I have faith and believe God will be there for me as nothing is too hard for the Lord.
