Trials (Advent) - Friday, December 8
Trials - Friday, December 8
“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.”
Genesis 22:1-2 (KJV)
Praise God, we have a Savior born to us so He may conquer death for us!
For a Christian, there is triumph no matter how severe the problem. We usually think of Job when it comes to trials, but God tested Abraham with the most severe trial imaginable: to take his only son, whom he loved dearly, and sacrifice him as an offering.
Isaac was the son of promise – whom Sarah bore to Abraham in her old age after many years of being barren. Why would God require such a sacrifice? Wasn’t Isaac to be the one through whom the lineage of Jesus would come? It made no sense to Abraham, but he faithfully obeyed God’s command.
We, too, will be tested with the things near and dear to us. But by trusting God, we can face any trial, however painful.
Trials produce perseverance, character, and hope (Rom. 5:3-5). Perseverance must finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, lacking nothing (James 1:2-4).
As Abraham grew in his faith, he saw God’s plan of salvation unfold and praised Him. As we learn to trust God and His Word in the midst of our trials, we will grow in our faith. May God give us a teachable heart so that we, too, may praise Him.
As we journey through Advent, let us thank God for the blessing of hope in the birth of His Son, Jesus, on Christmas day!
Lord God, we hand our trials to you as we journey through this season of Advent, this season of hope. Knowing that, in You, we can find peace. We give you thanks for the gift of your Son, Jesus, our Savior, in the midst of our most difficult trials. In Jesus’ name, Amen.