Patriarchs: Trusting God When Things Don't Add Up

 

 Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.  Genesis 22:13

 This story of Abraham being called to sacrifice Isaac, his only son whom he loved, has always been a difficult one for me. Abraham longed and prayed for this son for decades. He was a gift to him in his old age, and one that could not be replaced. Could God provide another child for Abraham? Yes of course, but it would not replace this special son he had in Isaac.

 The story is only a few paragraphs long, but it plays out like an epic movie. You can feel along with all of the characters. The shock and horror Abraham must have felt when he received the command to sacrifice his son. The submission and resolution he demonstrated as they set out right away. The tension between him and Isaac as they left the servants behind and went on to sacrifice, but they had no animal with them. I can’t even imagine the moment when Isaac fully realized that he was to be the sacrifice. Did he submit willingly, or did he put up a fight? How did Abraham tie him up? What did this whole scenario do to their relationship, once Isaac realized that his father was willing to sacrifice him? What did it do for Isaac’s faith to see the faith of his father and God’s perfect provision through the ram.

 One thing that occurred to me was that Abraham did not think to pray for a ram to have its horns caught in the bushes, at least the scripture doesn’t record it. We often could never imagine the perfect provision God has for us in a difficult circumstance, so our job is just to trust, and that’s exactly what Abraham did. When, in verses 7-8 Isaac asks where the lamb is for the sacrifice, Abraham tells him, “God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” In Abraham’s mind, God had already provided Isaac, and God could do what He willed with him. It was all in God’s hands.

 For a long time I think I trusted in the provision God had given us through my husband’s work. I spoke the words that our provision was from God, but those paychecks were so consistent that it was hard not to count on them. When my husband was laid off six months ago, we were challenged to see what we really believed. Would God provide for us apart from a job? Where would we land? What did God have in store for us?

 I am so happy to report that God has, indeed, provided for us amazingly in this time. My husband has not yet found a new job, but I have no doubt that however long this season goes on, God will be here for us. Despite not having a job, God has continued to provide for us. We have not gone without, have not missed a payment, have never been left wanting. I am convinced that this layoff in itself was partly God’s provision. The environment at my husband’s former place of employment has turned so toxic and God spared us that. I know that He has something even better in mind for us that we would not have thought to seek out if He hadn’t had us in this place. I can tell you that some of the jobs he has applied to are so very different than I would have expected.

Here's the Thing: Sometimes what looks like a crisis is really God’s transition for us to a different path. There’s an accident in the road that causes us to take a different route, on which we find His perfect provision. I am challenged to trust in God’s plan even when I don’t understand it, as Abraham did. That’s what faith is all about!