Do I Trust Him?

This week's Bible blog is inspired from Genesis chapters 19-24.

There is so much in this section that it is really difficult for me to pick my usual one story to focus on so I am going to focus on a theme.

God promised Abraham and Sarai a son. For the sake of brevity I am going to skip all of their doubts along the way but let's just agree that we can hardly blame them for wondering how they were going to birth a child of their own as Centenarians. (That's my SAT word for people in their 100's.)

So, miracle of miracles occurs and they do, by natural means with no intervention, conceive and give birth to a healthy baby boy. I know that most of you have also read this story, but it helps me to summarize.

This is what I find incredible about the coming scene. Sarah asks to send Hagar and Ishmael away. Although it hurts Abraham because he loves Ishmael, who is, after all, also his flesh and blood, God tells Abraham that it will be OK. Just let them go. So Abraham gives up his first born son.

Think about this, it is so interesting. Ishmael was the child born of the flesh. God promised a miracle and Sarah didn't have enough faith to receive the miracle so she interceded and told Abraham to have a son through her maid. (Let's not even get into the way marriage worked back then!!) Through their own strength and their own efforts, apart from God's will, they brought their own will to pass. Hagar had a son, and God had to send him out of Abraham's life. They had to get rid of their own dream before God could do something with the dream HE gave to them.

Then, after Ishmael has been sent away, Abraham's only son remaining is Isaac, and God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. Can't you hear the dialogue?

Abraham pleads, "But God, I waited and I waited for this promise to come true and now you want me to kill the very dream that you brought to fruition in my life?"

God replies, "You trusted me then, you need to trust me now."

Abraham: "But you already sent away my other son. I have no one left. There are no heirs to my family. Aren't my decendants supposed to outnumber the sands of the sea?"

God has only one response, "Either you trust me, or you don't. So, Abraham, do you trust me?"

Abraham packs his son up and climbs the mountain. Can't you imagine that every step of the way he was searching the woods for a lamb, a goat, anything that would let him out of this. Every step higher on that mountain he must have been trying to drown out his own agony to strain and hear God speak, for surely God was going to call this whole thing off.

Can you picture Isaac, a young boy climbing up the mountain with his father?

"Hey, Dad! Did you see that rabbit over there? I bet I can jump as high as he can! Watch me try!!" and as Abraham watches his son, who trusts him completely, try to jump off a log and onto a rock his heart aches over the choice before him. Do I trust God or do I love my so? of course the two questions are incompatible in reality. If we completely trust God then we love those around us so much more perfectly. But it is so easy to understand why Abraham would feel torn by this step of faith that God asked of him.

Now this is the cream of the story to me. Abraham ties Isaac up and places him on the alter. You have to think that if Isaac, a young, strong boy, had put up any sort of fight against his father, who was well over 100 by this time, then Abraham wouldn't have had a chance at successfully binding him. That tells me that Isaac didn't struggle. Isaac must have asked, "Why, Daddy?"

And all Abraham could say was, "God told me to, but I know that He will provide a way out of this. Isaac, do you trust me?"

Here Abraham was, asking of his son the very same faith that God had asked of him...and they BOTH passed this test. Isaac trusted Abraham and Abraham trusted God.

So after all of that I have a few questions to ask myself.

1. What has God asked me to surrender? Do I have to let go of an old dream? (Ishmael) or am I being asked to sacrifice the very dream God brought to pass in my life? (Isaac)

2. Is there anyone else whose faith is depending on whether or not I trust God to bring His promises for my life to pass?

3. Who is watching me and trusting me?

4. Whatever He has asked of me, Do I trust Him?

These are questions that I have to ask myself over and over again. But hopefully each time God asks something of me I am able to more quickly respond in faith. Each test produces greater trust as I watch him faithfully provide for every one of my needs.

He is, indeed, faithful. It is I who sometimes lack faith.