The “bible skeptic” tends toward a menial understanding of the bible itself. One account in scripture that evokes a knee-jerk reaction is that of Abraham and the sacrifice of Isaac. They cry, “How could God ask someone to give a human sacrifice?! Who would want to serve such a God?!” Why would God ask such a thing from someone?
Genesis 22:1 says that “God tested Abraham.” God asked Abraham to do something that could only turn out good if God intervened. A true show of faith in God is to commit to God to do the thing that only He can bring to a good conclusion. It doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t know how He will do it, it just means you trust His way and His providence enough that you will simply fall in line and obey. Abraham concluded “that God was able to raise [Isaac] up, even from the dead” (Heb. 11:19). Abraham knew that God would provide a way (Gen. 22:14). He may have not been exactly sure how God was going to work it out, but he knew to the very core of his being that God would.
What does God want for your life? What plan does He have for you? When you really ponder these questions, do you think in terms of your plan, your means, your talent, your intellect, your strength… or His? Just as salvation is by the power Christ, not the power of self, God’s goals for your life are accomplished through what He provides, not through what you can muster. Remember, His strength is made prefect through your weakness (2 Cor. 12:9).
When I go hiking, I plan out exactly where I will go, how long I will be gone, and what I will need, whether clothes, food, water, shelter, etc. I will only have what I bring with me. On the trek of life, everything we have is from God. He equips us with the very things that we will need along the journey. He already has it planned out. Sometimes we don’t realize or are even able to imagine the things that He provides for us to be able to live out His will. Could the Israelites in the wilderness have imagined beforehand that God would feed them with a mysterious food that fell from heaven every morning?
Though we don’t think in terms of the miraculous, we are told to replace our worry and anxiety with trust and obedience. With reference to worrying about the essentials of life, Jesus said, “For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matt. 6:32, 33).
God wasn’t asking Abraham to put Isaac to death. He was asking him to put to death the trust that he had in himself. Do you pass that test?
-Cary Gillis D.Min.
April 14, 2019

What does God want for your life? What plan does He have for you?