Thoughts on Genesis 22

Now it came about. . . that God tested Abraham and said to him, "Abraham!". . . "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. . . "

So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. . .

Isaac spoke to Abraham. . . and said, "My father!". . . "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.". . .

Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!". . . "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. . .

Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, and said, "By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall posses the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice."

-Excerpts from Genesis 22

As the kids and I read and studied this passage the past two days, verse 12 where Abraham was praised for not withholding anything from the Lord, not even his promised son, really stood out to me. It was a reminder that we need to give all areas of our lives over to the Lord.

So often we wear ourselves out by striving to gain things that we think we need or want. We worry over our children. We wallow in self-pity over unmet expectations in our relationships. We complain because things didn't go the way we wanted. I've done all these things at one time or another, and the end result was anxiety and unhappiness.

Abraham's faith in the Lord is evident in verse 8. In this verse Abraham reassured Isaac that the Lord would provide. Even though the Lord had asked him to do something heart wrenching, Abraham obeyed with confidence. Note in verse 5 he told his men "we will worship and return to you". Abraham showed faith that his son would be restored to him.

I've been learning that living according to verse 12 is much better. When I trust God for His provision, I have no need to feel anxious and I am grateful for what I have. When I ask the Lord to show me how to be the wife, friend, daughter, etc., He wants me to be, the focus is off the other person, and I can experience peace in our relationship. When I pray for God's leading in my children's lives, I stop worrying and trying to force things into their lives that God never intended for them. And when I accept that God has a plan for me and that He will allow things into my life for a purpose, even if they are uncomfortable or difficult, I will learn to experience true joy.

Note that the outcomes of surrendering these areas to the Lord are positive. Verse 12 shows us why this is so. The Lord told Abraham that because he had not withheld his son, He would bless him. The outcome of doing things God's way is always going to be a blessing.

It's not easy to release things. There is always that part of us that thinks we can do it on our own. But no one knows us better than God; so it's in our best interest to rest in Him and do things within His will. I can't say I've fully achieved this; but I'm continuing to learn. God continues to show me His faithfulness. As I continue to give things over to Him, He gives me more than I could have asked or imagined. His way is always the better way.