May 4, 2011 … Trials’ Lesson: Faith

Passage of the Day: Hebrews 11: 17 – 19 … 17 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, 18 even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." [see Gen. 21: 12] 19 Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

My Journal for Today: My devotional time from this passage, and from what was written by John MacArthur in Strength for Today for this date, is most convicting. Today we see that God reckoned Abraham’s faith as real because of what would transpire as accounted in Genesis 22, where we read the chronicle of Abraham’s trial with his only son, Isaac, being the sacrificial “lamb.”

This story, of course, is used in God’s word to show how God uses the trials of life to “test” our beliefs and our lives, as He did with Abraham … to see if our faith, like his, would be genuine. And the question I find myself asking (myself) is this: “If I were put to a radical test – as was Abraham – would I be willing to give my all for my God?” Ultimately, that is what God demands of my heart and my life … for me to be willing to turn the dearest part of me over to Him.

Certainly that’s why Abraham is referred to in the New Testament as the “father of the faithful.” [see Rom 4: 11 – 12 and Gal. 3: 6 – 7] and why, as a believer, I’m considered a son of Abraham. … Well, I’d like to think that I could pass such an extreme test of my faith. And I think again of Cassie Bernall and how her faith in Christ was tested with a gun to her head at Columbine High School that fateful day. Cassie died by saying, “Yes” when she was asked if she was a Christian. Could I be so faithful? Would I be that faithful, as was Abraham, if I was asked to give up my wife or one of our daughters or any of our grand daughters? Would I have the faith that has no hesitation, knowing that my God is faithful no matter what the circumstances? I would hope that I would.

Most certainly I know that my faith grows in my God the more deeply I know Him. Abraham KNEW God so well that he just KNEW that God would fulfill His promise in their Covenant. He KNEW that God could raise Isaac or in some way fulfill all the promises He (God) had made concerning Isaac. So there was no hesitation on Abraham’s part when God tested Abraham in the way He did. I would hope/pray, in dire circumstances, that I would have the faith of Abraham or a Cassie Bernall.

And I think all who read this should be taking stock of your faith to see where you might stand should we be tested in the future. … I pray we stand with God and His promises.

My Prayer Today: Lord, ALL that I have is Yours. Amen