So often when we ask God for things or when the journey seems to be filled with perils or God’s command seems to be one we cannot understand; we have moments of doubt. Yet, what a wise and patient God we have. He knows that the key to our joy and fountain of hope can only be found through faith in Him. It is only as we learn to see Him as Glorious and as our provider of all good things, can our faith hold firm. This was the case with Abraham. When we review the account of Abraham’s greatest act of faith in which He trusted God to either raise Isaac from the dead or to provide the sacrifice and marched forward to fulfill God’s command, fearlessly filled with hope and faith; we stand amazed and wonder how could anyone’s faith be that strong. Once more read these accounts.
Hebrews 11: 17 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son,
18 Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:
19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
Genesis 22: 1 And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.
2 And he said, 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 upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
3 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.
4 Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.
5 And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.
6 And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.
7 And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
8 And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
9 And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood.
10 And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son.
11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.
13 And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.
14 And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen.
So how was it that Abraham’s faith was so strong? Had it always been? If you read the accounts of Abraham’s journey, you will see that Abraham obeyed God; yet, there were some grave moments in which fear or doubt had played a row in his life. He had wondered why God waited so long before Isaac was born. Ahhh, but that is the miracle. God waited patiently to fulfill the promise until it was impossible to be done (as Sarah was beyond the age of child bearing) so that the miracle and the Glory was of God. When Isaac was laid into Abraham’s arms there was no doubt left in Abraham’s mind but that God was always faithful in fulfilling His promises and thus great faith was born. Then Abraham knew whom He served and thus was without doubt ever again.
Genesis 21: 21 And the Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
2 For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
3 And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
For me, these past two weeks was that kind of moment. I felt like Abraham must have felt when Isaac was placed in His arms and the flood of emotions, the overwhelming joy, and the realization of how Gloriously God loves me–to keep and fulfill His promises. No fear or doubt could remain in my heart.
Is there some promise that God has whispered to you a long time ago that you are wondering if He will complete it? These are the steps that will help you while you are waiting.
1. Study the old testament. As you read through the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Daniel, David, and many more; you will find that God recorded every detail to help us understand that God always fulfills His promises and that God many times waits so that faith grows.
2. Pray without ceasing. Now by that I don’t mean that fretful, waling type of prayer. There are moments for those; but, they should not be the ceaseless prayer I refer to. Instead, ask for patience, wisdom, and faith to understand more of who God is.
3. Seek to know God and to see His Glory in every detail that passes through your life. While waiting for the big promise to be fulfilled, notice all the little promises being fulfilled daily in your life and write them down.
4. Praise Him for who He is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh65wLVbaww (Preview)