Charles Stanley continues Chapter 3 of Waiting on God as he concludes his discussion of Abraham’s responses to God’s promises.
2. The temptation to speed the plan along. Especially when the anticipated blessing is important to us, time has a way of wearing on even the strongest faith. The temptation to take matters into our own hands becomes great. Our focus is on the obstacles instead of the Lord’s ability to overcome them. Like Abraham and Sarah, every time we get ahead of God or try to wrestle control from His hands, we make a mess. Nothing good ever will come of it.
3. The test to prove what really rules your heart. Dr. Stanley notes that twenty-five years elapsed between the time Abraham received God’s promise and its fulfillment. Certainly Isaac was very precious to Abraham and Sarah. Yet the Lord tested Abraham by telling Him to sacrifice Isaac.
Dr. Stanley states that the Hebrew word for “tested is nasah, meaning “to try, assay, or prove.” The word often is used when referring to examining the quality of weapons. Here God demonstrated the quality of Abraham’s faith and what truly ruled his heart. God already knew everything that was in Abraham. Abraham need to make the choice, in the process recognizing that God indeed came first.
Submitting to God’s command wasn’t easy for this man of faith. It certainly was downright agonizing. While we aren’t privy to Abraham’s thoughts, we do know what he did. He obeyed anyway.
Today’s question: What promises of God have strengthened your faith following your vocation loss? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Strongholds in our lives”