40 Days of Faith
"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come."
Hebrews 11:20
No matter how long he lived, Isaac never forgot that day on the mountain as he lay upon that altar ready to be sacrificed. He remembered how the Angel of the Lord appeared and provided a ram to take his place. From the time he was born, he could remember his father telling him of the promise that he would one day be a great nation. On that mountain that day, he realized that God truly had something special for him in the future.
Now, Isaac is a father with two sons. Jacob and Esau are two completely different people. It is hard to imagine that they are brothers much less twins. Esau has a rebellious spirit and likes to hunt; Jacob is a conniving, mamma's boy. How in the world will either one of them carry out the plan of God for the future of their family? By faith, Isaac knew that God had a future plan for his sons. His entire life he had heard of God's promises, and now he has the obligation to pass it on to his children. Surely he told them about all that he had learned from their grandfather, Abraham. He explained to them what God had promised for their family and believed that it would be carried out according to the will of God.
What visions do we have of tomorrow by faith? Do we believe that God has a plan for our lives and those who come behind us? If so, are we living and acting accordingly? Too many times we get caught up in living in the past or just for the moment. We can get so wrapped up in our current situation that we cannot see by faith that God has great things prepared for us. We have believed the lie that this is all that we have to live for when God Himself tells us that we have not seen or heard what He has prepared.
The adults among us also have an obligation to bless our children toward a hopeful future. We must prepare them and equip them for what God has in store for the rest of their lives. This preparation is spiritual, physical, mental, and emotional. They need spiritual examples of people that live by faith each day, so that they might be able to see how to live as well.
It would do all of us good to remember the words found in Jeremiah 29:11: "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
May you walk toward the future by faith today!
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