Have you ever been on the verge of making a significant mistake and were stopped just before doing so? How did you feel? Were you initially upset? Did you later realize how big the mistake would have been? Did you thank the person who kept you from making the mistake?
All of us make mistakes. Some of them are bigger than others. We may also experience someone stopping us from making a mistake. Or we may have had someone attempt to stop us and we ignored them. Later, we may have wished we had listened to them.
Abraham was not making a mistake. He had been told by God to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham was being obedient to God as he went to execute the sacrifice. However, just as he was about to plunge the knife into Isaac’s chest, the angel of the Lord stopped him. Abraham was being tested by God to see if he would follow through with God’s command. God ultimately provided a ram to be the sacrifice.
I doubt God will ever test one of us in the same way he tested Abraham. After all, God has never tested another person in that same way in more than three-thousand years. But God does test us. He may specifically put us in a situation to see if we will confess our faith in Jesus. He may ask us to step outside our comfort zones to serve others. We must remember that God provided for Abraham and will provide us with what we need when we need it.
I pray we all choose to follow God in every situation. I pray we trust God during times of testing. I pray each one of us are willing to step out of our comfort zones to serve God’s purposes. Follow God’s guidance. Trust God at all times. Step out of your comfort zone. Serve God.
Genesis 22:12-13 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham looked up and saw a ram, caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.
Marty Pressey 