Overcomer: Finding Strength in Hard SeasonsSample

Enduring Trials

Abraham was used to waiting. He waited 25 years for God to give him his son, Isaac. And, he spent most of his life wandering in foreign lands, trusting that God would show him where to go next. Imagine what Abraham must have been thinking when one day God asks him to kill the son he’d waited years for. 

No one would have blamed Abraham if he said “no” or became bitter, defensive, angry, or fearful. But instead, he chooses to live within the tension of trusting that God will intervene, and to worship God even if He doesn’t. Abraham even tells Isaac that “God will provide for himself a lamb”—as he prepares to sacrifice him.

In the end, God does spare Isaac’s life, and He reveals the reason for His odd request: He never wanted Isaac’s death—He wanted Abraham’s complete obedience. 

Sacrifices matter to God when they’re born out of obedience because true obedience is a faith-filled act of sacrificial love. 

Trials test the extent of our obedience by revealing what our faith is founded in. If we say we love God but we allow our circumstances to dictate our responses to tough situations, then we have more faith in our circumstances than in our God. 

But, if our faith is rooted in the God who has authority over all things, then we, like Abraham, can walk into the unknown embracing the tension of believing God can restore all things—and worshiping Him even if He doesn’t.