God will Provide

Over the weekend, I spent some time listening to some good ol' stories from the bible that are becoming more and more relevant in my life. I used to think, how am I supposed to relate with a 99 year old farmer, but there are things about Abraham, God's friend, that completely blow me away!

Here's a very specific example. You know the part in the story where God asks him to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. I can't imagine what that would have been like to hear God ask something like that. Here's my response, "You mean Isaac? My only son? My son who you promised my wife and me? My son who is my joy and laughter? You have to be kidding me! This can't be God!

I think many times while following God we assume that He only speaks what we want. Such as, God wouldn't ask me to kill my son, leave my home, sell my possessions, get uncomfortable, or take a what seems to be a RIDICULOUS risk. We translate the voice of God to fit our own language of life. So my question is...Do I know God's voice?

I believe that Abraham knew the voice of God. How else could you explain what he did? What kind of man in his right mind gets up the next day to hike up a mountain and offer his son as a sacrifice? The only way you can explain this is to trust that Abraham knew who had asked him this.

Later on in the story, Isaac asks Abraham why they are hiking up a mountain for a sacrifice with no animal to kill. Talk about a punch in the stomach to a father! And how does Abraham respond? "God will provide." Only a man who knew the voice of God could answer like that! And then Abraham's faith carried him to the limit, and God provided.

Will our faith in the voice of our father carry us to the limit? Will we allow God to provide?

Thanks to John Irwin (for your inspiration) and all the YoungLife staff for an amazing weekend!