God had been with Abraham for many years. He had stretched Abraham’s faith to the limits. Chapter 22 was the ultimate test for Abraham. Would he indeed sacrifice his one and only son on the altar if God asked him.
If God asked you to give him (What might that be?), would you do it? We all have our Isaacs; the beloved thing, person, the most important, the one and only one thing that’s most precious to us. We all have an Isaac.
God works in all of us the way He worked with Abraham. He slowly and consistently brings us a ong a little at a time. We grow in faith, like Abraham did, as we learn to trust God more and more. We learn that we can take God at His word. When we believe His word, he will inevitably bring tests. Notice that Genesis 22 begins with the phrase, “now it came to pass the God tested Abraham.” He too will test us. It’s only through these tests that our faith can grow.
As we grow to know God better, to love Him more, He will increase the intensity of His tests. He grows our faith gradually, until at last, like Abraham, we too are ready, willing, and able to give to him our own dear, precious, Isaacs.
Right now things may be going well with us. No trials, tests, or great losses to face while growing in our faith. But, don’t ever forget the five most frequently repeated words in the bible, “and it came to pass…”