Can I tell you a story?

Returned home to Brussels today after a week of adventuring through Budapest, Vienna and Prague.  Lots of stories to be shared, but first can I tell you a different story?

It’s a story found in Genesis, the first book of the Bible.  Abraham, one of God’s chosen leaders, and his wife Sarah had waited a long time for their promised-by-God son, Isaac.  They loved, really adored, this kid! One day, Abraham was going about his business when God spoke to him and said “Abraham, I want you to take your son Isaac, whom you dearly love, and offer him as a sacrifice at the place I will show you.” No doubt this must have rattled Abraham, but the next day he got up early for a 3-day journey with Isaac and several servants, seemingly prepared to do the unthinkable.  When they arrived at the place God had told him to go, Abraham told his servants that he and Isaac were going to go worship and then they would be back. 

As father and son walked off to worship, Isaac finally asked the obvious question “Dad, we have everything we need for the sacrifice except for the sheep? What will we use for the burnt offering?” Abraham simply replied, “Don’t worry son; God will provide what we need for our worship.” And they kept walking together.  Then Abraham prepared the alter…and eventually tied up Isaac, laid him on the alter and prepared to kill his most beloved son.

[I know.  This sounds crazy, right?]

Just then, an angel of God called out and said “Don’t lay a hand on your child. Now I know how deeply you revere, love and fear me.  You didn’t even hesitate to place your dear son on the alter for me.”

Just then Abraham looked and noticed a ram caught in the bushes; and he and Isaac sacrificed the ram to the Lord and named that place on the mountain The Place God Provided…On the mountain of God, He sees to it. [That’s my favorite part…the happy ending!]

This is a crazy story, loaded with more meaning and lessons.  But that’s not really why I wanted to share this story with you.  I want to share it because this story is oddly comforting to me right now.  I imagine Abraham was crushed and filled with despair as he sought to obey what the Lord had asked of him.  He must have had a bazillion questions for God.  I wonder if he was even a little bit angry wondering how he could be asked to even consider such a sacrifice. But his love for and trust in the character of the Father propelled him through the doubt and anguish into a true space of obedience and deeper faith. 

I like what Oswald Chambers says: “Character determines how a man interprets God's will…If the devil can hinder us from taking the supreme climb and getting rid of wrong traditions about God, he will do so; but if we keep true to God, God will take us through an ordeal which will bring us out into a better knowledge of Himself…The great point of Abraham's faith in God was that he was prepared to do anything for God…If you will remain true to God, God will lead you straight through every barrier into the inner chamber of the knowledge of Himself; but there is always this point of giving up convictions and traditional beliefs.”

To which I respond: Oh Lord, give me a heart like Abraham! Teach me and purify me.

Would love any thoughts you have on this story.  Have you ever experienced God's provision in an unlikely way?  How easy or hard is it for you to obey God?  Does the story of Abraham and Isaac encourage you? Or freak you out?  

And just to wet your appetite for stories from Central Europe travels...that’s a painting of the story I saw while in Vienna.