Faith — The Sacrifice - Monday
TODAY’S VERSE
Genesis 22:2
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.” (NIV)
“Hey, Brit. Thanks for hopping on… especially on such short notice!”
Britney was her usual self as our Zoom call began; chipper and upbeat, not a single blonde hair out of place—the real-life version of Corporate Barbie, both in looks and personality.
“Of course!” she said, flashing her perfectly white teeth. “I’ve been meaning to catch up with you; things have just been crazy lately!”
“Trust me,” I replied, “you have NO idea…”
Crazy was no exaggeration of what the last few months had felt like. On paper, everything was perfect. My team had just finished the year as one of the top branches in the company. The church plant where I served was busting at the seams, quickly outgrowing our space. I had a great job with great benefits and was now finally in line for the next available VP position. Life was good…
What on earth was I about to do?
“I wanted to thank you for considering me for this position… To say this role is what I’ve always wanted would be an understatement.” Choking back tears, I took a deep breath and spoke again.
“But… God has called me back home to a church in Kentucky. There’s no job lined up for me there… no salary… He just told me to go and help. I know it doesn’t make any sense, and it honestly doesn’t make sense to me, either… He just told me to go, so… I’m going.”
For a brief moment in Genesis 22, life was finally starting to look good for Abraham. He successfully completed a peace treaty at Beersheba, not to mention that his wife, Sarah, had miraculously given birth to a son of their own. But then God told Abraham to give up what he loved more than anything—his son, Isaac—for a reason completely unknown. Even though none of us have ever been told to sacrifice our child as a blood offering, most of us can look back to a “then God said…” kind of moment.
We finally met someone, but then God told us to break up. We finally got a house in a great neighborhood, but then God told us to move closer to an elderly parent. We finally got promoted, but then God told us to go into full-time ministry.
Giving up what we’ve always wanted can be extremely difficult, especially when it doesn’t quite make sense. But what it actually shows is that we want God more than anything else—and wherever He leads, we’ll go.
Abraham trusted God, even when it didn’t make sense. Speaking from personal experience, you and I can, too.
APPLICATION
How has your faith been tested? How did that help shape you as a follower of Jesus?
PRAYER
Father, give us unwavering faith in you this week.
