In
the twenty-second chapter of Genesis, we read of God's test of Abraham by
asking Abraham to take his son, Isaac, and offer him as a burnt sacrifice.
After these things God
tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He
said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the
land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains
of which I shall tell you.” (Genesis 22:1-2 ESV)
Abraham
took his only son and set out on a three-day journey in order to offer Isaac as
a burnt offering, just as the Lord had instructed him to do so.
Can you imagine the agony that Abraham
might have felt during his journey as he traveled? Yet, he never let the
pain or the anguish stop him. His life
still responded in faith to the plan of God.
Everything
Abraham did was a response of faith. He
did not even have to say a word. His very
life spoke volumes to The Lord, from his early arising to begin the journey, to
erecting and preparing the altar for the sacrifice. Even when Abraham bound
his only son, placed him on the altar, and stretched out his hands to slay him,
his life was still responding to God in faith.
After
God saw Abraham's response of his amazing faith, He then responded to Abraham.
But
the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So
he said, “Here I am.” And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do
anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld
your son, your only son, from Me.” (Genesis 22:11-12 NKJV)
Abraham's
response to the plans of God caused God's response to be "Now I know."
Look at your life.
How is your life, your actions, your
thoughts, your habits, and words causing God to respond to you?
Our
desires and intents for our lives should always be to live faith filled lives
before God...a life that evokes the same response Abraham received: "Now I know that you fear me."
God
not only let Abraham know that He could trust him, but He also responded to
Abraham's faith-filled response with blessing and increase.
After
Abraham passed his test, God spoke these beautiful words of blessing over him:
Then
the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, and said: “By
Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have
not withheld your son, your only son — blessing I will bless you, and
multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as
the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate
of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed,
because you have obeyed My voice.”(Genesis 22:15-18 NKJV)
God responds with blessings in the lives
of those who reverence and fear Him.
Oh,
fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. (Psalms
34:9 NKJV)
He
will bless those who fear the LORD, Both small and great. (Psalms 115:13 NKJV)
The
godly are showered with blessings; (Proverbs 10:6a NLT)
Your
response of faith may cost you something. It may require a lot. But ladies, we
cannot live our lives any other way.
The
Bible teaches us that the just shall live by faith. The just do not just
talk about it. Faith dictates our life.
I
encourage you to ask God to show you anything that has hindered your life's
response of faith. When He reveals it to you, ask Him for grace to overcome so
that He can look at your life, and say, just as He did to Abraham, "Now I know."
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