Worship

In Genesis 22, it says that God gave Abraham a test. This intrigues me. Hadn't Abraham already done so much? Hadn't he left Er, saw the stars and believed and had it counted to him as righteousness? Hadn't he waited for Isaac? Hadn't he seen Sarah's body give life from that which was as good as dead? Hadn't he already passed test, after test, after test already?

But God in His sovereignty (who am I to question the Almighty?) gave him another one. Indeed, like the great Jackie Hill Perry said at her conference "Glory," when teaching on this chapter, it was probably because he had passed the previous tests before that he could do this one. This big one. The hardest one.

"Take your son, Isaac, who you love so much, and sacrifice him on Mount Moriah."

Isaac? The promised one who had decades of waiting before his birth? That Isaac?

But, early the next morning, Abraham does. Abraham has been in relationship with God for a while now, and so he doesn't hesitate. Hebrews tells us he believed that if the promise of blessed generations were going to come from Isaac, and God was asking him to sacrifice Isaac, then surely there was resurrection somewhere.

Surely there is resurrection somewhere.

But it's verse 5 that has been catching me for days. They had finally gotten to the spot, and then comes verse 5: "So he said to his servants, "You two stay here with the donkey while the boy and I go up there. We will worship and then return to you."

We will worship - by sacrificing that which he most loved.

When God asks us to give up that which is most precious, it must be for a reason. He wouldn't do that for no reason. God explains that because Abraham didn't withhold his own son - who he loved so much - then He was going to bless him.

God wants to see what our heart will do. Do we love Him enough to lay it all - our whole hearts - on the alter? Testing He brings into our lives reveal who or what person, desire, sin, attitude needs to be put on the alter. Will we do that for Him? Will we worship Him that way?

And, also, will we trust Him for the ram in the bush that will come after?

I find myself going when He says go. I've left so many Er's. One word from Him, and I'll do anything. I find myself in relationship with Him for decades. I find myself on other sides of waiting seasons.

I find myself recently sacrificing in worship.

But tonight, I confess where I don't yet find myself, is trusting for the ram in the bush. I'll obey. I'll do the hard thing. He is worthy of worship...

But where's the ram?

I confess I just don't yet see it.

It's not that I don't believe it's not there. That God won't provide it. I know He is Jehovah Jireh... I want to trust that it's coming, that its right there - caught by the horns and bleating - if I would just turn around. I want to trust in faith that the provision will be there, that blessing is coming. Trusting that is worship too.

But here's the hard part: Abraham never even saw the total fulfillment of the promised blessing. He just had faith - the evidence of things still yet unseen.

May I have faith like Abraham, God, and trust You, Jehovah Jireh. Help me worship You, for You alone are worthy.