Genesis 22: 2, 3
And He said, “Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
--NASB
In the name of God in Whom we believe, amen.
Faithful Abraham, the one who took his son up on a mountain ready to sacrifice him, believed in the promise of God. The promise was that God would bless all nations in the Seed of Abraham. It was for that reason that Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son. He knew that if God was going to bless him through his Seed, that God would have to raise Isaac from the dead, or that Seed could never be born.
Abraham, called to faith; Abraham, strengthened in the faith when God showed him in a profound way what He would do for us. God would sacrifice His only Son for us, and yet that Son would return alive! So God told Abraham to sacrifice his son so he would understand what it meant, and Abraham’s son came back from the sacrifice alive.
Abraham was called to faith by a promise. His faith was strengthened by a test. So our faith was created by a promise. So too, our faith is strengthened by testing. Faithful Abraham’s living, active faith humbly bowed to the will of the Lord. So our faith bows to God’s will, and it is strengthened by the test. May your faith, living and active always bow to the Lord’s will. Amen.
Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for the promise that has the power to create faith. Thank you also for the tests that strengthen our faith. Give us Your Holy Spirit so that we will humbly accept Your tests. Use your tests to make us strong in The Faith. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.