One of the most striking examples of faith in the entire Bible is found in Genesis chapter 22. God told Abraham to offer his son as a sacrifice, and Abraham, until he was stopped from completing the task, proceeded to carry it out. He apparently didn’t question God’s reasoning, but proceeded to do exactly what God told him to do. He wouldn’t have been able to do that if it were not for the fact that he had tremendous faith. He is referred to as the “Father of the Faithful”, no one else in human history ever possessed the faith Abraham had.

Can you imagine the emotions he must have felt when God told him to sacrifice his son? He obviously loved his son. Was this really what God wanted him to do? Was this really God telling him to do this, or was it inspired by Satan? Did he misunderstand God’s directions? Surely God wouldn’t want him to go through with this. These are some of the questions we might ask if we were in Abraham’s place. But there is no biblical evidence that Abraham asked any questions. He simply carried out God’s instructions to the point of no return.

Abraham knew the answers to these questions. He knew God wanted him to go through with this, while fully believing God would restore Isaac. He knew this was really God, telling him to do this. Satan had no part in it. How did Abraham know? Because he knew God personally! While we might question the validity of the command, Abraham did not. He could recognize the voice of God without question! They were that close! Isa. 41:8 calls Abraham the Friend of God. He knew that nothing God said was misunderstood. As God’s friend, Abraham was able to understand that this really was what God wanted him to do.

Do you understand that with this kind of faith, we can be considered Friends of God as well? This should be our goal…to have that same kind of faith which comes from knowing God. Knowing God in this way only comes from continual contact and communication. We need to communicate with God every day. (Notice I didn’t say just speak to God…communicating means more than just speaking). He responds to us, and speaks back to us, in different ways…by what we learn in our Bible Study, or what we come to understand in meditation, for example. We should be able to talk to God about anything without holding back! Our closeness should be that of a close friend! And we have Abraham as the example of this.

If we have that kind of faith, nothing will be too difficult for us. We will know God’s will, and will seek to carry it out. We will not question if this is really what God wants. If we have that personal relationship with God, there will be no question.

Taking Abraham’s example then, reinforce your relationship with the Father and Jesus Christ. Converse regularly with God, and let God in return open your mind to understand things. If you have this kind of relationship, nothing in this life will be too difficult. We will be spiritually strong, just as Abraham was. Nothing will be too hard for us!

Don McCoy
June 23, 2017