But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”

He replied, “Here I am.”

Then He said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him.  For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from Me.”  Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns.  So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.  And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said:  “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”  Genesis 22:11-14  HCSB

Have you ever been listening to your radio or watching your television and had that obnoxious alert sound come through followed by a voice telling you that this is a test of the broadcasting system.  They will repeat that it is only a test.  Well today I want to talk to you about tests.  You see God tests us.  When we go through school, we are tested.  It measures our progress and our growth.  It measures our learning.

As Christians, we begin as baby Christians barely able to stand on our own two feet.  But as Christians, we are expected to grow and mature.  We are expected to become mentors for other baby, or less mature, Christians.  We may be tested by God during our growth process.  God may use tests to measure our faithfulness and our maturity as a Christian.  Can you pass the test?

In today’s scripture passage, Abraham is put to what I would call the test to beat all tests!  God had promised Abraham and his wife Sarah a son.  God had promised that this son would be a father of a nation.  He promised that his offspring would be as numerous as stars in the sky. God keeps his promise and gives them a son in their old age.  Now when this son is old enough to carry the wood up the mountain for the sacrifice and question his father concerning the lack of a sacrificial animal, God asks Abraham to sacrifice Isaac.  Wow!  You finally have this child that God has promised and God asks you to kill him? So, what does Abraham do?  He does what he has always done.  He listens to God and obeys His commands.  He follows God’s instructions to the letter.

Years ago, I prayed for something.  I begged God for a particular job.  I did everything necessary to obtain this job.  I even went so far as to get a Master’s degree even though it was not required, but the field was very competitive.  I thought it would give me the edge I needed to secure this job.  But, after many failed interviews I had to accept the fact that I was not going to get the job.  Now I cried out to God and He told me that He had never promised me that job.  He told me that He had a work for me to do in my current job.  So, I set about doing just that.  When it was time to leave that job, God carried me right into another job which carried me right into retirement.  Now getting my Master’s Degree had gotten me a nice raise at my current job so it wasn’t all a total waste.  But God had a plan for the degree I had gotten.  That plan would not be revealed for 15-yes 15- years, but God had a plan.  Jeremiah 29:11 tells us that God has good things planned  for us.  In Genesis 22 after our scripture passage today we see that God had good plans f or Abraham too.  He stopped Abraham from killing Isaac and provided a ram for the sacrifice.  He also promised Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous than sands on the seashore and that they would conquer their enemies and be a blessing to many nations.  How awesome is that?

Abraham provided the faith and God provided the sacrifice.  God has provided the ultimate sacrifice by providing his one and only Son as a sacrifice for our sins.  But there will be tests.  We must remember that they are only tests.

I want you to know something, when it feels as though God is putting you to the test, know that He has something great planned for you.  When I didn’t get that job, I was broken hearted.  I just couldn’t understand why God had put me through all of that for nothing.  But it wasn’t for nothing.  It was all in God’s plan.  He used every bit of what I went through to bless me later.

Maybe you are facing disappointment now, but know that God has a good plan for you.  Know that God will provide for you.  God gives us everything we need.  He doesn’t forsake us or leave us hanging.  Know that when he tests you that it only means that it is time to dig in and be faithful.

We must be faithful, we must trust in Him just as Abraham did.  Psalm 66:10-12 talks of how God tests us but ends with how God brings us through the test into abundance.  If God is testing you, know that this is one test you don’t want to fail.  Know that God will walk you through the fire.  He will provide all that you need to get through this testing and come out into abundance.   All you have to do is put your faith in Him.  This is only a test!  And with God’s help it is one that you can easily pass!

Have a great day!