The Spirit of the Lord says, “Beloved one, there is an invitation before you to step into a deeper trust in Me. My heart’s desire is that your trust in Me would grow and flourish. That you would choose to trust Me with all the things that matter to you, from the very small to the very big.
My beloved, you are so dear to Me! There will be times when My ways do not make sense to you, but will you resolve within yourself to choose to trust Me? Let Me come close to you today and remind you that I AM, and I AM the one who IS trustworthy.”
Activation:
Once more, take a moment to first read through Genesis 22:1-8. Close your eyes and picture this scene of Abraham walking with Isaac. What must it have felt like to be in Abraham’s shoes? Consider Abraham’s response to Isaac when he asked him, “Where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered: “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son.” What a trust filled response!
Take sometime today to consider the level of trust you place in the Lord.
- What are some areas where you could trust in Him more? Invite Holy Spirit into these considerations. If you are able, pray for an increased trust to arise.
- Repent of where you have kept God at a distance and invite Him to come closer in those areas where you struggle to trust in Him.
- Then, consider the questions that have been raised over the past two days regarding testing and obedience. How do these three things work together?
Take some time to consider what we have learned about God’s nature in considering testing, obedience, and trust. Invite Holy Spirit to speak to you directly about how this applies to your life.
The Offering of Isaac
1 Now after these things, God tested [the faith and commitment of] Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.”
2 God said, “Take now your son, your only son [of [a]promise], whom you love, Isaac, and go to the region of [b]Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
3 So Abraham got up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac; and he split the wood for the burnt offering, and then he got up and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 On the third day [of travel] Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.
5 Abraham said to his servants, “Settle down and stay here with the donkey; the [c]young man and I will go over there and worship [God], and we will come back to you.”
6 Then Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it [d]on [the shoulders of] Isaac his son, and he took the [e]fire (firepot) in his own hand and the [sacrificial] knife; and the two of them walked on together.
7 And Isaac said to Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”
8 Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself [f]a lamb for the burnt offering.” So the two walked on together.
Genesis 22:1-8 (AMP)
Footnotes
[a] Genesis 22:2 Abraham also fathered Ishmael by Sarah’s slave, Hagar, but Isaac was his only son of promise, the legal heir of Abraham.
[b] Genesis 22:2 This area later was to become Jerusalem and the site of Solomon’s temple.
[c] Genesis 22:5 At this time Isaac would probably be about twenty years old.
[d] Genesis 22:6 As Jesus carried the crossbar for His own crucifixion, so here Isaac carried the wood for his own execution by fire, but God had mercy on him.
[e] Genesis 22:6 i.e. a firepot filled with burning coals.
[f] Genesis 22:8 Abraham had complete faith and trust in God. Because God’s covenant with him depended on Isaac, Abraham may have anticipated that God would reveal to him an alternative to the sacrifice of Isaac, as He in fact did (vv 11-13). But Abraham was determined to carry out what God had commanded him to do, because of his faith in God’s promise.
Unapologetically Marcia 