Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.”     Genesis 22:5 HCSB

This verse sounds simple enough, right. A father and son are going to worship. This is Abraham and his son, Isaac. Abraham and his wife Sarah had waited for many years to have Isaac. God had promised the two of them they would have a son and he would be the father of a great nation.

But now that Isaac has gotten a little older, we think perhaps he was in his teen years, God tells Abraham to do something unthinkable. He tells Abraham to take his son, Isaac up on the mountain and sacrifice him to the Lord.

Abraham is known for his great faith. Abraham left his homeland and his family and struck out for parts unknown. God simply told him to get up and go to the place that God would show him. Abraham stayed focused on heaven as his permanent home. Hebrews 11 tells us Abraham struck out by faith. It tells us he lived in tents his whole life even though he was very wealthy because he was looking forward to his heavenly home.

There were times when Abraham messed up and allowed his fear to overcome his faith, once when he traveled to Egypt (Genesis 12) and again when he traveled to a place called Gerar (Genesis 20). Abraham was a human being, but he was a human being who possessed great faith. We are told that God credited Abraham’s faith to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). Abraham was considered to be righteous by God because of his great faith.

We must have faith in order to please God (Hebrews 11:6). We must have faith in order to have righteousness. Righteousness is not something we can get because of the works we do, but because of the belief we have; because of our faith.

It must have been hard to leave the only place you ever knew as home and head for an unknown place that God agreed to disclose to you. Abraham also set out to rescue his nephew Lot with 318 well trained men in Genesis chapter 14 when Lot got caught up in a pickle when two sets of kings began fighting each other. Abraham took his 318 men and set out against the armies of five kings. He was victorious and was able to rescue his nephew as well as some of the kings who had been taken captive.

But now God puts Abraham’s faith to the ultimate test. He tells Abraham to take his only son that he had with Sarah and offer him as a burnt offering. Abraham never hesitates. He makes the three-day journey to the place God told him to go. He brought a couple of servants along and some firewood. He leaves his servants behind and tells them that he and his son, Isaac, are going to worship and they will return. He did not say, “I will return, but we’ll return.” This tells us that Abraham trusted God. When Isaac began carrying the wood up the mountain, he asked his father where the sacrificial animal was. Abraham told Isaac, “God will provide.”

Abraham prepared the altar and tied Isaac to the top of it, but just before he struck Isaac with the knife, the angel of the Lord called from heaven and stopped him. A ram was caught in the thicket nearby and this was provided as the sacrificial animal.

Abraham was prepared to do as God had instructed and trust God for the outcome. He trusted God when God had told him Isaac would be the father of a great nation. He trusted God to keep His promises.

This is a picture of what God has done for us. He provided his Son, Jesus Christ to be the sacrificial lamb for our sins. He gave his one and only begotten Son to die for us so that we might have eternal life.

Do you believe that? Do you live each and every day of your life like you believe that? If we truly believe, then we should have the faith of Abraham. We should trust God wholeheartedly. We should obey Him knowing that He’s got our best interest at heart, and He will take care of us.

If you have a problem with your faith, talk to God about it. He’s a good father. He will listen to you. You can ask Him to strengthen you and help you to believe. Talk to a pastor or a trusted friend if you are experiencing doubt.

Trust in Him and obey His commands. Watch how he works and provides for you in your life. He may bring you through some pretty scary times, but He will never let you down.

Have a great day!