ABRAHAM’S TEST

In Genesis 22:2 God told Abraham, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering.”

You know the story. God spared Isaac, substituting a ram for the sacrifice. And the Lord told Abraham:

“Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. . . . Because thou hast done this thing . . . I will bless thee. . . . Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:12, 16–18).

HE DID NOT HOLD BACK

God told Abraham, in effect, “I know now that you will never hold anything back from Me, even your precious son. And because you have proven this, Abraham, I am going to bless you.”

Hear what the Spirit is saying in this passage:

“Others may never learn about your many tests of faith. You may suffer in isolation, with no one to benefit from your testimony of endurance. In fact, you may be judged for your suffering, as others think, ‘Why is he going through all this? There seems to be no point to it. I wonder where he has failed in his life.’”

GOD BOTTLES OUR TEARS

Yet, you can know that the God who led you into your trial of faith knows what your trial means. All your tears have been bottled by Him, every pain felt in His heart. And the Lord assures you: “This will end in blessing. It will mightily impact those in your family.”

Abraham was already in glory when these promises were fulfilled by the Lord. But his family, the nation of Israel, and eventually all of humankind would benefit from his faith.