Wednesday, October 21, 2009

On my heart

It's been a wild month for me...lots of situations that have been frustrating.  I feel as if I am being tried and tested over and over.  Sunday at church, the communion meditation was about testing - perfect timing.  The text was Genesis 22.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"



"Here I am," he replied.


2 Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."


3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."


6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, "Father?"


"Yes, my son?" Abraham replied.


"The fire and wood are here," Isaac said, "but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?"


8 Abraham answered, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And the two of them went on together.


9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"


"Here I am," he replied.


12 "Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son."


13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram [a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abraham believed God and lived his life trusting Him and following him.  When his faith was put to the test in this unfathomable situation, Abraham continued to show that his faith was utterly and undeniably in God.  Talk about passing the test! 

So now, the question for me is...when I am put to the test, do I continue to show that my faith is in my God - no matter what?   Or do I fall into the pit of cursing Him for putting me to the test?

I am working to continue to show that my faith and belief in my God is only growing stronger.  And I am reminded again that when I pray - boldly and in line with the will of God - that HE WILL ANSWER!  Maybe not in the way that I had hoped, but He is the one who knows best...and I will rest and find my peace in that.

Lately, there's been a chorus of a Michael Card song going through my mind.  I want to share this with you because it has helped in those moments when I felt like walking away...giving up...cursing God for putting me through these difficult tests.  Maybe it will help you as well.
 



To hear with my heart,


To see with my soul,

To be guided by a hand I cannot hold,

To trust in a way that I cannot see,

That's what faith must be.



That's What Faith Must Be
By Michael Card

1 comment:

Erica said...

I don't know what you are going through right now, but you have been in my thoughts a lot, even before reading this post.

Hope you are well. Let me know if you want to talk.