“And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” Genesis 22:12.

We believe by faith that when we bring our petitions before the Lord, He answers yes, no or wait. Faith in God’s sovereignty must be settled in our hearts before we even ask. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

I read these words once and thought of how God continuously orders the steps of His beloved children:

If God answers your prayers,

He is increasing your FAITH.

If He delays, He is increasing your PATIENCE.

If He doesn’t answer He has something BETTER for YOU.

                                                                                                                      -Unknown

It is often said a tried faith is true faith. God lovingly leads us through the pathways of life; orchestrating every circumstance to increase our faith and spiritual growth. Romans 8:38 reminds us “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Scripture provides numerous accounts of those who by faith endured things beyond our greatest imagination. Abraham was called the father of faith…he was tested by God to sacrifice his only son. “And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” Genesis 22:2. 

By faith Abraham obeyed God, can you imagine? Isaac his long-awaited son, a promised miracle to Abraham and Sarah who were way beyond the age to have children. And God says to Abraham to take him and sacrifice him on the mountain. But praise be to God…He provided another lamb for the sacrifice for Abraham that day. “And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.” Genesis 22:11-12. We may not be called to sacrifice to such lengths in faith…but God knows exactly what it takes to mold us into the likeness of His dear Son.

Let us take note of where our faith lies today…is it in the things that we can touch, feel, and see with the natural eye- or is it in the One true and living God? Our Great and Almighty God has divine providence over all things and will always honor our faithful obedience to His will; let us be reminded of the words of Job who suffered much loss, but remained faithful to God and received even greater blessings at his latter end … “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Job 23:10.

When the hills seem insurmountable to climb, and they will surely come in this life… may God grant us the strength and peace to look unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith… standing on His promises and trusting in His amazing grace to guide, keep and succor us now and forever.

God’s loving-kindness and amazing grace keep us all!