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1After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 2He 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 that I shall show you." 3So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac; he cut the wood for the burnt offering, and set out and went to the place in the distance that God had shown him. 4On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place far away. 5Then Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you." 6Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. 7Isaac said to his father Abraham, "Father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." He said, "The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?" 8Abraham said, "God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.
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Have you ever played the “Trust Game?” You know, the one where you let yourself fall backwards towards the person behind you, TRUSTING that you will be caught?
The trust game was hard for Abraham and Sarah. God kept God’s promise, and finally Isaac is born. For several years they rejoice, as the baby grows from infant to toddler to young boy. Then comes a shocking command from God: “Abraham, 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 . . .” How can God ask such a thing of any parent? How can God take away the very gift God had given in the first place?
Abraham obeys. He is devastated but takes Isaac and prepares for the sacrifice. Trusting God is no game now. As they walk towards the mountain of sacrifice, Abraham finds the faith and courage to do this terrible thing in trusting one thing – God will provide. Somehow, God will provide whatever is needed.
In a way, we play the Trust Game every day. We trust other drivers on the road. We trust the freshness of groceries we buy. We trust that our house is as secure when we get home as it was when we left. We usually take this kind of trust for granted, because in our experience these things usually seem to happen – until they don’t.
Trusting God can be as hard for us as it was for Abraham and Sarah. Like them, when God doesn’t do what we expect or want, it can be easy to think God is no longer present, or no longer cares. But it is in those very times, the most difficult of times, when God is there, providing exactly what is needed.
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Holy Spirit, you have given us the gift of faith. Keep our faith strong enough to hold on to you when trusting is most difficult. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
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Written by Pastor Pam Mitcham
Pastor of Community Care
pmitcham@stjohns-springfield.org
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