How to Respond When God Asks the Impossible

Posted on Sep 22, 2016 Topic : Inspirational/Devotional, Women's Christian Living

Have you experienced the shock wave of a change that rippled through your life and your heart? You were going along just like you’d planned and then, without warning, everything shifted and nothing seemed sure or familiar.

That’s what it must’ve felt like for Abraham. One day when he got up, life seemed to be on course according to God’s promise. And then God spoke this inconceivable thing into his life:

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 (Genesis 22:2).

We discover, in this amazing story, how Abraham obediently sacrificed through his actions and through his attitude, and God ultimately provided the substitute sacrifice of a ram. God said, “Since you have not held back from me or begrudged giving me your son, Abraham, I know that you fear Me” (see Genesis 22:11-13).

Even if the challenges we face are quite different than Abraham’s, there are three truths we can gain from his story.

1. Today is preparation for tomorrow. We do not know what God will allow into our lives tomorrow, and today is preparation for what tomorrow may bring.

2. God chooses the thing. Whatever it is, God chose it and allowed it. He wants to use this thing in our lives to draw us to Him and to help us discover who He is. As Jehovah Jireh, He provides everything in our life, including ways to use these opportunities to lean into Him.

3. God tests His people. This is not an easy truth for everyone to accept, let alone embrace. Oftentimes this raises the difficult question: “These people love the Lord, follow God, and obey His Word, so why would God allow something like that to happen in their lives?”

Why would God ask Abraham to sacrifice his son? He had obeyed God. He had left his home and done everything God had asked of him along the way. So why would God show up one morning and ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? Because… God tests us. It is as simple and as difficult as that.

God times the testing, He determines what the testing will be, and He determines the level of the test. While we might want to ask, “Why Lord?” what we need to ask ourselves is, “If I know that the test is a possibility, will I allow Him to prepare me, equip me, and provide all that I need in order to pass the test in a way that will glorify God?”

Abraham answered yes. Will you?

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Father, thank You for Abraham’s example, for showing me that You honor those who declare that You are forever God. I stand in Your presence and trust You with my life, transgressions, dreams, family, future, pain, hope, and deepest need. I look to You and proclaim, “You are my Provider, Jehovah Jireh.” Amen.