Have you gone through an initiation? Have you been tested to determine if you are a fit for an organization? Was it a physically grueling test? Was it a mentally stressful test? Did the test combine mental and physical requirements?
We may face some very difficult tests in this life. Personally, I have faced a couple of lengthy tests that included both mental and physical requirements. The first was boot camp and the second was Drill Instructor School. The second was tougher than the first.
Not everyone will face the same tests. Some face the test of giving up something or someone that is very dear to them. It may come in the form of the death of a loved one. It may be the time of retirement from a job in which you have given thirty or forty years. The last day can be very emotional. The following days, whether losing someone or leaving a job, can be challenging, and filled with grief or sorrow.
God tested Abraham’s faith. He sent him to a specific place to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham did not argue. He simply got up and went. He knew that God had promised him that he would have descendants as numerous as the sand by the seashore. He knew God had promised that he would be blessing to all nations. I’m sure he didn’t know how these promises would take place if Isaac was sacrificed, but he trusted God.
When we face testing that comes from God, we, too, should obey. We may not understand how things will work out. We may not know what lies beyond the next step. But when we put our faith in God, following his guidance, we can trust that he will provide just as he did for Abraham.
I pray we all put our faith and trust in God. I pray we follow God’s guidance when we are faced with a test. I pray each one of us obey God when he tests our faith in him. Put your faith in God. Trust God’s promises. Obey God’s command. Know that God will provide.
Genesis 22:1-2 After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you.”
Marty Pressey 