Lay Them Down

We strive to achieve our goals, and sometimes invest all that we have to get the object of our desires. We also plead with God to give us what we want and often He grants us our wishes. These may not be wrong in themselves, but we are tempted to take them too far, until the obsession can consume us to the exclusion of God Himself. We need to ask ourselves constantly – is there something that is becoming too important to us?

I wanted to be an engineer and got into BE but God had other plans. I had to leave the course and join MBBS. I excelled in my studies and, so wanted to go abroad, specialise in cardiology and come back to bring glory to God as a top Christian cardiologist. I could have easily achieved this ambition. However, God spoke to me through Jeremiah 29:11-13. He had a different agenda.

Abraham was a great man of God – mentioned more than once in Hebrews 11 – the roll call of Biblical heroes. His life was marked by complete and instant obedience. The only thing he asked of God was for a son. Finally, the long awaited son was born. Did Abraham become so obsessed with his son that God was relegated to second place? To test His faith and obedience, God told him to offer his son as a sacrifice on one of the mountains of Moriah. When God saw that Abraham really feared Him, and He was still first in Abraham’s life, God gave Isaac back to Abraham.

Sometimes, the good things we seek can become so overpowering that they become all too important. These could be personal or institutional ambitions, possessions, positions or even relationships. We need to place these ‘Isaacs’ on the altar and ask God to examine our hearts. If our hearts are right, they will be given back to us. Otherwise, they will be taken away – so that God’s plans may be perfected through our lives.

Do we have all-consuming desires? Do we have Isaacs in our life? We should remember that nothing can or should take God’s place.

Lord, help me lay down my most cherished possessions on Your altar for Your glory. Amen