Different and Better - Wednesday
TODAY’S VERSE
Hebrews 11:17a
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. (NIV)
I took a lot of various ministry classes in college. Many were what you’d expect, but the most memorable was a class called Adventure-Based Christian Education. I wasn’t entirely sure what I was getting into, but about three weeks into the class, the professor loaded us into a van and told us we were going on a field trip.
That field trip took us to a cliff where we would all be rappelling. A few people in the class had done it before—I had not. We had learned how to tie all the necessary knots and how to use the equipment, but actually using it was a different experience. When it was my turn, I tied off the rope to a tree, backed up to the edge of the cliff, and paused. I was supposed to slowly lean backward until I was over the edge and then start walking down the cliff face. But my legs had decided this was far enough. All I had to do was lean—but everything in my body rebelled against that one simple task.
In theory, I trusted the rope—but until that moment, my faith in it hadn’t been tested. After a few minutes (and some not-so-gentle prodding from the rest of the class), I leaned back. I started walking down the cliff and even hung upside down, suspended by only the rope. Once I realized the rope would hold, everything else was easy. Once the rope was tested, I trusted it.
Abraham’s faith (and our faith) is no different. It’s easy to say we trust God, but Abraham was placed in a situation where he had to decide whether he actually trusted Him or not. Abraham could have easily backed away, but he leaned into God and placed everything into His hands. And God showed up.
What in your life do you need to fully trust to God? Where does your faith need to be tested? Where do you need to surrender and allow your faith to be tested? Give Him control. I won’t promise it will be easy, but I can tell you there’s no safer place to be than fully reliant on Him.
APPLICATION
Faith is proven when trust moves from words to action. Ask yourself where God is inviting you to stop standing at the edge and fully place what matters most into His hands.
PRAYER
Ask God to reveal where you are holding back trust, and pray for the courage to surrender control and lean fully into Him—even when the outcome is uncertain.