The Test of Faith

God loves to see faith in action. Faith that takes His word, "Give it to Me," and trusts Him with the outcome, when the deepest things in life are at stake. Faith to choose His ways instead of mine, when there is no discernible reason behind His doings.

I want that kind of faith. I ask God for it…

And then I whine and complain when He tries to train me?

A man of great faith is not born with the faith to move mountains. Faith must be developed, exercised, tested. And it hurts, when that test calls for the surrender of the dearest and most cherished dreams of life.

“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 22:2)

Even till the last moment before Isaac was to be killed, Abraham never faltered in his obedience to God. He didn’t question how God could fulfill His promise about Isaac if Isaac was to be killed - he trusted that He would, simply because He said so. And Abraham risked everything.

We have no idea what it would be like to be in that situation. None.

“And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham’: and he said, ‘Here am I.’ And he said, ‘Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.’” (Genesis 22:11, 12)

He had passed the test, flawlessly. Few other men could have.

The most amazing miracles are wrought for those who are willing to put everything on the line, to risk everything for God.

So often I’ve looked at the histories of men of great faith. Of course they made those choices. Of course that was the right thing to do. Of course? When you’re in a trying situation, it doesn’t always feel that way. Maybe God’s plan crosses everything you think you know and everything you want to believe. Maybe it makes no sense at all to you.

But to quote a friend of mine, we are no followers at all, if we do not follow Him all the way.