by Roxanne Rogiers
THE LORD WILL PROVIDE from Genesis 22:6-14
Abraham had finally received the child the Lord promised him and his wife. Isaac was born to the
man and to Sarah, when they were nearly one hundred years old. GRACE happens when God does
the miraculous despite seemingly impossible situations.
The Lord would reveal another aspect of His nature to faithful Abraham. He asked the man to kill
the child of promise! Has the Lord ever made a promise to you? What would you do if the Lord
asked you to forsake, give up, or kill the dream that He gave you? That promotion you labored for.
That marriage you cried over. That ministry you prayed for. That long awaited child you had hoped
for. The Lord owes us nothing. We only have what God gives us, by His GRACE (unmerited favor),
for a season.
Abraham trusted the Lord beyond normal human reason. So, he went atop the mountain to do as
the Lord commanded. But, did he really believe that God would require him to kill his only son? He
told his servants, upon leaving them, that he AND Isaac would return to them. Some theologians
have stated that Abraham believed that the Lord would raise Isaac from the dead, since He had
awakened Sarah’s womb to give live, when she was past her years of childbearing. But, the Bible
does not reveal what was going through Abraham’s mind when he took his son up the mountain in
obedience to the Lord’s will.
Abraham built the altar. Isaac trusted his father and obediently lay atop it. Abraham raised the
knife to slay his child. An angel intervened and told him not to hurt his child. There was a ram in
the thicket. God had provided another sacrifice. Abraham did not have to sacrifice his only son, after
all. This scenario is analogous to: a diagnosis of cancer that is miraculously reversed and
determined to be a mere infection. Or an embryo, in which no heartbeat was detected, that is
birthed as a perfectly healthy baby. GRACE happens when the Lord relents from allowing us to go
through horrific situations by providing an unexpected and favorable outcome to our dilemma.
God allows these tests to purify the motives of our hearts. Our first and primary allegiance must be
to our Lord. There are times when, despite our prayers and pleadings to the Lord, we must surrender
that which we cherish most, on the altar of our hearts. There are times when the divorce papers are
finalized; when our loved one succumbs to a fatal disease or accident; or when we lose our home
after we have lost our job. We are not to despair after suffering such losses. There is a song that
says, “I would rather have Jesus than silver or gold. I would rather have Jesus than riches unto ld. I
would rather have Jesus than houses or lands. I would rather be led by His nail scarred hand.” Even
when the Lord allows us to suffer loss, He will give us the GRACE to endure that loss. God’s GRACE is
sufficient after we have suffered debilitating losses, for His strength is made perfect in our
weakness.
Obedience to God does not always result in a "get out of jail free" card! GRACE
happens in those moments when we are able to sincerely say by the GRACE of God,
"though He slay me, yet will I trust Him!"
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Roxanne Rogiers is a self-published Christian author, writer, and blogger.