“And the angel of the Lordcalled to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”” (Genesis 22:15–18, ESV)
Because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you. Faith receives after faith acts. We have to step forward before God steps up. God will plant the blessings in our lives afterwe choose to trust His words and do what He commands us to do.
Once Isaac was sacrificed, albeit only by choice and not by death (See Genesis 22:10-11), God’s blessings kicked in. Notice that this is the second timein this encounter that God assured Abraham from Heaven that all was well. If we want to hear God’s voice we will have to first choose to release who or what we’ve been holding too tightly.
Once Abraham had acted to sacrifice the son of his old age, God promised untold benefits: assured blessing, exponential multiplication, possessive victory, and unbridled philanthropy all flowed from his selfless act of obedience to God.
Sometimes the “ask” of God is so great that we shrink back in doubt and our faithlessness consigns us to a life of “could have been” instead of “should have been.” Abraham swallowed his fears and walked by faith, not by sight. Today he is called, “The Father of Faith,” because of such choices.
What will you be called when you are long gone? Will anyone remember you? If they do, what will you be remembered for? Will it be for that one moment when all of life changed because you were selfless and obedient to God or will people remember you for your selfishness and refusal to work and walk with God?
Faith chooses to accept the “ask” of God, no matter the size of potential pain because it knows that the heart of God is wise and compassionate. Faith trusts the character of God. Do you?
Faith Filled Fridays hope to boost your trust in God and accelerate your daring and courage in everyday life. Dr. Matthew Lee Smith, Executive Director of Eagles In Leadership, writes each encouragement out of a heart that has known both great joy and great loss – his wife of 38 years, 5 months and 2 days was promoted to Heaven on November 11, 2017. Through every experience, God has proven Himself more than faithful and trustworthy. He welcomes your comments below.
