Reading in the book of Genesis lately, I came across the famous story of Abraham. A very rich personality, a deep-meaning story and a remarkable record of God's action with descendants of Adam. Each time I read it, my eyes are opened on a new aspect, that I never noticed before! Indeed it's "the living word" of God! :)
In Genesis 22, we read about Abraham Tested:
"Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Besides admiring Abraham's courage, faith, trust in God, strength, determination and sincerity, I admired Abraham's ability to recognize God's voice at once: "Abraham" >> "Here I am"!
"Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
With the same simple, vivid and short statment "Here I am" he replies again!
But this time the order is the absolute inverse of what he has been ordered before!
How could this be! How could he believe that this is the voice of the Lord commanding him to do the opposite to what he has been ordered to do before!
How could his heart be free of doubt?
How could he have this flexibility?
If I were you, If I heared God's voice so clear oreding me to do something. Nothing on earth can stop me from doing it! "It's God's will" we shout!
I imagine a different senario for the story:
"Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Lord, is that you?" he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Then Abraham said "Huh? could this be really the angel of the LORD". "It can't be" he wondered. "Surely this is the sound of Satan, or my sinful intuitions to hinder me from doing what the Lord ordered me to do".. And he took the knife, and slayed Isaac."
I figured out that It's very difficult for me to believe I hear God's voice when what I hear is different than what I previously heard!
When God's voice tells you to get into this relationship... Can you accept the fact that at some point of time God's voice can be "Stop this relationship"?
The answer is: NO. We always complain "How could this be! God's voice was very clear when we started and he said go on!!!"
When God's voice tells you to take this job... Can you accept the fact that at some point of time God's voice says "Leave this job"?!
The answer is: NO! We always say "God gave me this job and he did in a miraclous way. It must be satan that is now trying to sabitaje God's work in my life"!
Dear God,
Give me the flexibility that Abraham had! To go when you say go.. and stop when you say stop! not doubting that the 'go' was from you, nor that the 'stop' is yours too!
Help me accept the fact that you can give and take, and take and give... all to teach me and test me.
In Genesis 22, we read about Abraham Tested:
"Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
Besides admiring Abraham's courage, faith, trust in God, strength, determination and sincerity, I admired Abraham's ability to recognize God's voice at once: "Abraham" >> "Here I am"!
"Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
With the same simple, vivid and short statment "Here I am" he replies again!
But this time the order is the absolute inverse of what he has been ordered before!
How could this be! How could he believe that this is the voice of the Lord commanding him to do the opposite to what he has been ordered to do before!
How could his heart be free of doubt?
How could he have this flexibility?
If I were you, If I heared God's voice so clear oreding me to do something. Nothing on earth can stop me from doing it! "It's God's will" we shout!
I imagine a different senario for the story:
"Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Lord, is that you?" he replied.
“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Then Abraham said "Huh? could this be really the angel of the LORD". "It can't be" he wondered. "Surely this is the sound of Satan, or my sinful intuitions to hinder me from doing what the Lord ordered me to do".. And he took the knife, and slayed Isaac."
I figured out that It's very difficult for me to believe I hear God's voice when what I hear is different than what I previously heard!
When God's voice tells you to get into this relationship... Can you accept the fact that at some point of time God's voice can be "Stop this relationship"?
The answer is: NO. We always complain "How could this be! God's voice was very clear when we started and he said go on!!!"
When God's voice tells you to take this job... Can you accept the fact that at some point of time God's voice says "Leave this job"?!
The answer is: NO! We always say "God gave me this job and he did in a miraclous way. It must be satan that is now trying to sabitaje God's work in my life"!
Dear God,
Give me the flexibility that Abraham had! To go when you say go.. and stop when you say stop! not doubting that the 'go' was from you, nor that the 'stop' is yours too!
Help me accept the fact that you can give and take, and take and give... all to teach me and test me.
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