Sacrifice

Genesis 22:1-3 “Some time later God tested Abraham.  He said to him, Abraham!  Here I am, he replied.  Then God said, Take your son, your only son, whom you love-Isaac-and go to the region of Moriah.  Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.  Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey.”

I was just discussing the story about Abraham sacrificing his son when God asked him to with the youth the other day.  He waited 14 years for that son to arrive and then it wasn’t long before God was asking him to kill him.  He wanted Abraham to give his son back to Him as an offering.  Could you imagine waiting 14 years for something then after a short time having to not only give it up but destroy it with your own hands?  No, I can’t fathom it and I highly doubt anybody else could either.  It’s nuts!  I’m sure Abraham was floored and it took a second to register in his head what God was asking of him.  Instead of asking why or hating God, he obeyed and moved immediately to do what God asked of him.  That’s trust.  We can’t even trust God when He asks us to go talk to a stranger about Him much less when He tells us to destroy something we longed and desired for so long.  As the story ends up, God stopped Abraham before he finished the task and praised him for his faith.  He was blessed many times over for simply listening when he was told.  You never know why God may be asking or how the situation may end up, it’s only our task to listen without hesitating and trust that God has a perfect reason.

John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”