Love and life on the line

Today: Genesis 22-24

Have you ever been asked to give up something that meant the world to you?

In today's passage, Abraham was faced with that exact dilemma. God asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac...the promised miracle child Abraham had waited for years....and years...and years to receive (and did I mention that God was the one who promised Abraham the son?). Abraham trusted God and headed to a mountain to put his love and his son's life on the line:

They arrived at the place to which God had directed him.

Abraham built an altar. He laid out the wood.

Then he tied up Isaac and laid him on the wood.

Abraham reached out and took the knife to kill his son.
Just then an angel of God called to him out of Heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!"
"Yes, I'm listening."
"Don't lay a hand on that boy! Don't touch him!

Now I know how fearlessly you fear God;

you didn't hesitate to place your son,

your dear son,

on the altar

for me."
Abraham looked up.

He saw a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.

Abraham took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering

instead of his son.

Abraham named that place God-Yireh (God-Sees-to-It).

Abraham was willing to put something he dearly loved on the line for God. But instead, God saved Abraham's son by providing a ram for the sacrifice. Abraham called the entire place God-Yireh--which means basically "God sees and provides."

What's really interesting about this story when you think about it (and when you're reading the Bible in reverse like we are this year!) is the fact that God provided more than a ram. Not only did He spare Abraham from proving his love by killing his son, He actually went through the exact same thing. God proved His love by sacrificing His Son, Himself...for Abraham's descendants...and for all of us, too. He put His love and His life on the line.

Tomorrow: Genesis 25-26

What now, God? moments

Today: Genesis 19-21

(Confession: I actually wrote this post on another blog in 2008....but thought of it again when I re-read the passage today. I hope it encourages anyone reading this now.)

Have you ever had a "What now, God?" moment?

I have.

And most people I know have faced at least one--sometimes they happen when something unexpected occurs--or on the flip side, when something you do expect doesn't. So what exactly should we do in the "What now?" moments?

Today's passage included a story about a woman in the Bible named Hagar with a pretty serious moment like this. Hagar was a servant whose master, Abraham, couldn't have children with his wife (even though God promised he would be the father of nations). So his wife told him in effect, "Sleep with Hagar--maybe she'll give you a child." And it happened--but not the way God intended.

As always, God came through on His promise and Abraham and his wife had a child--the Plan A promised child. And Abraham's wife got nervous,so she kicked Hagar and her son to the curb (okay, the desert to be exact).

This was definitely Hagar's "What now, God?" moment. I'm sure she felt abandoned. As a servant, she probably didn't have much choice in the circumstances that led her to the desert--she was in a desperate situation.

But some things about Hagar's story caught my attention, so I thought I'd share a bit of it with you:

She wandered off into the desert of Beersheba.

When the water was gone,

she left the child under a shrub and went off, fifty yards or so.
She said, "I can't watch my son die."
As she sat, she broke into sobs.
Meanwhile, God heard the boy crying.
The angel of God called from Heaven to Hagar,

"What's wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid.
God has heard the boy and knows the fix he's in.
Up now; go get the boy. Hold him tight.

I'm going to make of him a great nation."
Just then God opened her eyes.
She looked.
She saw a well of water.
She went to it and filled her canteen and gave the boy a long, cool drink.
God was on the boy's side as he grew up.

Even though she may have felt deserted, desperate and alone, God was with Hagar in her "What now?" moment. God cared about what was wrong in her life and encouraged her to let go of her fear. But the words that are repeated stand out to me--"God heard." In our moments of confusion or sadness, God hears us.

The other thing I noticed? An answer to Hagar's prayers was right in front of her face--she just had to look for it.

I think sometimes we have expectations for exactly how and when God will answer our
prayers--and those expectations drive how we look at our situations. Sometimes we just have to get a fresh perspective and look at things in a new way. Because in the "What now?" moments, God is always there. We just have to trust He's listening and have the faith to look for His answers.

Tomorrow: Genesis 22-24