God always has a way

Genesis 22:1-13

Submitting to God is not easy, not because it isn’t easy but because we make it hard. We look at Abraham stoically going up the mountain, his beloved son by his side. He has been told by God to sacrifice his boy. What must that trip have been like? We can’t imagine because God has never asked anyone else to do that. Or did He? He asked that of himself. Christ was not saved from suffering on the cross, but he was delivered from death. His life was lived out as man while he was yet God. He brought to the world the grace of redemption. What does God ask of us? The sacrifices we make are not to our glory but to his. The choices we live out can either lift us up or break us down.

I read in a devotional for dieters that when we subvert our need for food for nourishment into a desire for food to fill a void other than hunger, we have put our faith in something other than God. The instant gratification of a Ben & Jerry’s takes precedent over the long-range return of better health through self-discipline. When we submit to God's love and mercy, he opens doors and leads us through.

Abraham believed whatever the outcome, he must trust God and carry out God’s instruction no matter where it led. Self-discipline and trust are a hard to beat combination. No matter what challenges you face, God always has a way for you to get over, under, around or through them. It may require a few sacrifices on your part along the way.

Lord help me to always trust you no matter how high the mountain. Amen