Abe & Isaac and spiritual mountains

I'm (Kristin) in a Bible study that's using a Kay Arthur study on the Pentateuch and we're currently in Genesis. I just read the story of how God called Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain (Gen. 22) and felt like the Lord caused a few new things to stick out to me. The first sentence of that story is "God tested Abraham and said to him...." (Gen 22:1)  God was looking to see if Abe loved Him more than he loved his son. Then, when Abe and Isaac leave the servants and head up the mountain, really at any point God could interject and say 'ok, ok, I believe you love me'  But God doesn't do that.  God lets Abraham get to the point where he's holding the knife over his only son that he waited 100 years to have.  At that moment, and not a split second before, God shows His faithfulness to hold to His promise and He provides a ram for the sacrifice instead.  


As I pondered this passage, my mind started thinking through parallels episodes in my own life and thinking about what God might want to teach me through those faith-trying moments. I wrote a few questions in my journal that came to mind: How far will I go to show the Lord I trust in Him more than people, money, reputation, etc...?  Where am I on the mountain? Did I sit down somewhere out of fear instead of continuing along to do what God has asked of me? Am I trying to cut a corner somewhere or find my own 'ram' to sacrifice instead of trusting God to provide?


These are questions the Lord has continued to bring to my mind over the past week and its been a great challenge. We're currently in Alexandria, MN meeting with people to share about our ministry work as we build our team of ministry partners.  In the midst of that, we're in a position of needing to trust the Lord wholly to provide for us in something that isn't within our control.  What a great role model Abraham is!  As I finished the study on the passage I mentioned above, I cross-referenced Romans 4:21, which mentions Abe's steadfast faith in no uncertain terms:  "No distrust made him (Abe) waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised."


mmm...what a way to live. Fully convinced of the Lord's promises and faithfulness. An ever deeper trust in His perfect ways is my prayer for my walk with the Lord.  Leave a comment or drop us an email if you have a spiritual mountain you're hiking right now that we can pray for.  May you grow strong(er) in your faith as you trust Him.