My Race To Win

Run with patience the race that is set before you. As followers of Christ, each of us has a customized race designed for our good and God's glory. I hope you are encouraged in your own race as I share lessons learned from mine.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Following….One Step at a Time

What a month!  I haven’t posted anything new in a couple of weeks, but it’s certainly not because I haven’t been learning anything!  As a matter of fact, I have visited my own blog several times reading over and over again the things that I know to be true about my God.  Over the past weeks/months God has been doing some radical things in my family.  I can’t possibly go into all the details here, but I do want to share something that keeps coming back to my mind over and over again.

When we think about our lives, I’m sure that each of us can pinpoint several major milestones or crossroads--points where we experience life-changing direction.  I know that in my own life, I’ve thought many times, “This would be so much easier if God spoke to me through neon signs in the night sky.”  What I’m really saying is that I could follow so much easier if I just had clear, indisputable direction.  Is that really true, though??  Is it easier to follow clear direction?  I don’t think so….at least not right now, it’s not.  God has clearly directed in our lives, and we are now standing at one of those crossroads.  It’s like we are waiting in the middle of the intersection without a clue as to which direction to take.  We didn’t just happen upon this place.  God brought us here—I have no doubt about that.  But what now?

I’ve been rehearsing truth about God.  God is sovereign.  He makes no mistakes.  He loves me.  He is good.  He wants to be glorified in every circumstance.  He gives grace for every trial.  He has a solution before I even know I have a problem.

As I’ve thought about these things, I remembered Abraham.  In Genesis 22, God told Abraham to take his only son Isaac and offer him as a burnt offering to the Lord.  God audibly spoke to Abraham—you really can’t get direction any clearer than that!  How hard that must have been for Abraham!

As I read through this chapter several things jumped out at me.  God’s initial instructions to Abraham were, “Take your only son to the Land of Moriah and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”  God told him enough to get him started on his journey, but He also says “on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”  I don’t think Abraham knew yet exactly to which mountain he would be going. 

He got up early the next morning and chose two young men to accompany him and Isaac on this journey.  They traveled for three days.  Don’t you imagine that with every step of that long journey Abraham was rehearsing what he knew to be true about God?  God keeps His promises.  God miraculously gave me a son.  God said that a nation would come from Isaac’s offspring.  God has told me to kill my son.  These thoughts probably went around and around in Abraham’s mind, yet he obeyed God…one step at a time. 

The Bible tells us that on the 3rd day “he (Abraham) lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar off.”  I’m not sure how he knew, but when it was time, God let him know the place.  At this point, he left his servants with the donkey and continued on with Isaac telling them, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”

Do you see that?  Abraham has been told to offer his son up as a sacrifice, yet he basically tells his servants, “We’ll be back later”.

Abraham didn’t know exactly what God was going to do, but he did know God.  He trusted that somehow God would spare his son.  BUT here’s what is important to see here….He’s not questioning God.  He’s not saying, “Ok…where’s the catch?  I need to see the end result before I can obey.”  He is obeying each step of the way.

Abraham and Isaac continued on.  Isaac even asked Abraham, “Where is the lamb?”  Abraham’s answer, “God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.”

They finally came to the place, but Abraham did not waiver.  He prepared the altar, bound Isaac and placed him on the altar, raised the knife to kill him….obeying every step of the way.  THEN the Angel of the Lord spoke.  “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from me.”  There in the thicket was the ram that God provided for the offering.

Abraham named that place The Lord will Provide.  Doesn’t that just give you chills? 
 
The same God that clearly directed and provided for Abraham is the same God that is directing and providing for you and me.  He is our personal God.  Abraham was not a superhuman, but he had the same personal God.

Do we withhold things from God?  Do we hesitate to obey because we don’t know the end result?  It is hard to obey when we can’t see the end, but we trust an all-knowing, all-wise God.  We have to literally rest in the knowledge that He knows our end.  He is directing us to that end.

We have no choice but to follow Him…one step at a time.

1 comment:

  1. Kelly, even though we know this, it is so hard when we don't know what the answer is. We have to remember through every trial as well as blessing that God is Good! I always enjoy reading your thoughts! I am praying for you and your sweet family. Love U

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