40 Days of Faith
"Concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead,
from which he also received him in a figurative sense."
Hebrews 11:19
Faith is often described by some as radical or extreme, because there are times when it stretches the boundaries of what the human mind can fathom. It is hard to imagine two people waiting until they were almost 100 years old to have a promised child. Even more incredible, they were willing at the call of God to lay their long-awaited child on the altar of sacrifice. If this seems completely unreasonable, you are right. Radical faith cannot reason the will of God; it simply believes in the wisdom and power of God.
The most astounding parts of this story are found in the words of Abraham. First, in Genesis 22:5, when Abraham comes to the foot of the mountain, he tells his servants: "The lad and I will go yonder and worship, and WE will come back to you." He did not say "I" will come back to you; he said "WE". Second, in Genesis 22:8, when Isaac notices that they have all of the items needed for a sacrifice except for the lamb, Abraham replies: "God will provide Himself a lamb."
Abraham made this entire journey with the faith that God was going to do the miraculous. He believed so strongly in God's promise that Isaac would be his heir he was convinced that if his son did die God would raise him up from the dead.
Consider how radical this is for Abraham to believe. We speak of resurrection in the church today, because we have read the Gospel accounts of those that have risen from the dead even Jesus Himself. What did Abraham know of resurrection? Even more extreme than that, this sacrifice was a burnt offering. If God allowed Abraham to go through with all of this, Isaac would not only be killed but would be completely burnt. Abraham still believed that God could raise Isaac up even from that.
This should challenge our faith against our reason. There are times when people have trouble trusting God, because they cannot understand how He works. Faith in God goes beyond human reason and understanding. It is the trust that God is all He says He is and can do all that He says He can do whether I completely understand that or not. Look beyond what you call faith now and stretch your heart and mind to see what God sees. Believe in the extreme of God, and trust Him beyond all understanding.
May you walk by radical faith today!
Consider how radical this is for Abraham to believe. We speak of resurrection in the church today, because we have read the Gospel accounts of those that have risen from the dead even Jesus Himself. What did Abraham know of resurrection? Even more extreme than that, this sacrifice was a burnt offering. If God allowed Abraham to go through with all of this, Isaac would not only be killed but would be completely burnt. Abraham still believed that God could raise Isaac up even from that.
This should challenge our faith against our reason. There are times when people have trouble trusting God, because they cannot understand how He works. Faith in God goes beyond human reason and understanding. It is the trust that God is all He says He is and can do all that He says He can do whether I completely understand that or not. Look beyond what you call faith now and stretch your heart and mind to see what God sees. Believe in the extreme of God, and trust Him beyond all understanding.
May you walk by radical faith today!
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