Posts
Sunday, October 25
Last time, I asked… What is faith if it is not tested? And when it is tested, and we are found to be obedient, isn’t God always there, ready to rescue us and provide an answer?One of the greatest faith tests and rescues in the Bible occurred in the life of Abraham. In his hour of intense testing, the Lord appeared and provided an answer.
Years after the fulfillment of God’s promise of a son, Abraham experienced a test that squeezed his faith to the max in the most frightening of all ways. God told Abraham to take his long-awaited, beloved son Isaac to the land of Moriah and to offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which God would tell him.
Gulp! Did Abraham run in the other direction or pretend he didn’t hear God? No! He listened to God’s instructions and obeyed. When Abraham, Isaac, and the servants reached the mount of God’s choosing, Abraham spoke out of the abundance of a faithful heart, for he told his servants at the bottom of the hill, (one of my favorite faith-filled verses), “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.” (Gen 22:5 NLT)
Up the hill of sacrifice they went to worship! Abraham’s faith started at the bottom of the hill while the rescue plan was yet to be unfurled. Once they reached the top, Abraham laid all on the altar, all that was valuable and precious to him, his only son, trusting that God would raise him up again.
In answer to Isaac’s question of the whereabouts of a lamb, Abraham said to Isaac, “God will see the lamb for Himself,” (Gen. 22:8 Mas) or “God will provide for Himself a lamb.” (Gen. 22:8 NKJV)
The Hebrew word for ‘provide’ means to see, appear, to present oneself, perceiving or ascertaining something apart from seeing it with one’s eyes, and so on. The English definition comes from the Latin ‘providere,’ which means before seeing, to take measures with due foresight, to get ready beforehand, and so on.
Abraham held his dagger high in the air, his hand quivering as the dagger glistened in the sun. Sweat poured down his forehead. He held his breath and heard, “Abraham! Abraham!” The Angel of the Lord commanded him to stay his hand of destruction.
Then, God said, “For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (Gen. 22:12 NKJV)
Abraham raised his tear-filled eyes, turned and saw the sacrifice provided. God presented a ram of sacrificial replacement, a male sheep with its horns entangled in the bushes, as the foreshadowing of a crown of thorns upon the head of the Lamb of replacement.
Abraham then called that place “The-Lord-Will-Provide.” (Gen. 22:14 NKJV)
On our refrigerator is a marker board, an advertisement from some company. Some time ago, as financial woes hounded us, I wrote this on it:
Faith is not moved by what it sees. “There is a sound of abundance…” (1 Kings 18:41 NKJV) $…Elijah spoke it…prayed it…believed it…and after the drought, the rains came!!! Then, up in one corner, I wrote this: There’s a ram in the thicket!
When I wrote that, I made up a simple, little chorus to the tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It, Clap Your Hands.” It goes like this:
There’s a ram in the thicket just for me,
There’s a ram in the thicket just for me,
There’s a ram in the thicket that’ll be just the ticket,
There’s a ram in the thicket just for me!
And there has been!
Abraham passed the faith test. His hill of sacrifice became his pinnacle of obedience and his summit of provision. All Abraham did, the Bible says, he did by faith, and the promises of God were thereby fulfilled.
* Has God asked you to sacrifice some “Isaac” in your life? Have you obeyed or held it tight?
* Do you have some hill of circumstance before you? Do you mount it with praise and worship?
* Do you have the same unfaltering, Abrahamic obedience and belief that God will work out your faith tests, even when you see no way of escape?
God provided the lamb of rescue for Abraham. And He will do it for you.
LOVE this!! I'm going to borrow your song!
Me, too! Great post. I feel very inspired. The Lord has always provided us with a ram in the thicket, and little miracles along our way. The sun rises and sets every day, but it's not often I see the beautiful colors low in the sky. When I do, I consider that a little miracle. Little miracles are everywhere, if we just take time to look.
I am trusting God's rescue! He's never failed me yet! Praise GOD!
Thanks for this post. It was a
real encouragement to me today.
I notice also that the provision
came - not on the way up the hill -
but at the last second.
Thanks again.
Lynn it is abundantly clear that God's timing is sovereign. God's provision is sovereign. Our LORD is faithful...thank you for being a voice in the desert places preparing the way and encouraging all of us towards greater faith, hope and LOVE.
Good morning, Lynn,
God always proves Himself faithful. Times without number He has met my need for His glory.
Today, I took a step of faith, like Abraham did with Isaac, that may cost me much. Only God can bring this step to fruitfulness. Please pray for me as I "step off the cliff!"
Be blessed,
Lynnda
In tears, my dear Lynne.
God knew I needed that this morning.
You have been used in a mighty way in my heart and spirit this morning, dear friend.
I love you, so.
I am claiming my Ram in the Thicket!
Jlo
How interesting! As others have said, this was just for me this morning. Love it! (and you~!)
How good of God to speak to us through one another. We really do belong to each other, don't we?
Great timing. I've just been rereading the passage, and here you have the message to ring round in my head. I'll borrow your song too.
Great post again Lynn! I will be singing your little ditty all day long now :-)
Be blessed!
A few days ago, I read Abraham's story again and I tried to picture the scene in my mind. I kept asking myself, "Would I have done just as Abraham did?" I'd like to think I would have passed the test, but the truth is I don't know. One thing I do know is that reading about Abraham's faith strengthens me and renews my faith.
Every time I read this story, I have to stop and ask myself, "Would I have the faith to sacrifice my only son just because God apparently woke up with a whim?" I hope I would have faith enough. But I suppose we never quite know until we're faced with a situation that demands something impossible.
Great post, Lynn, and I love your little chorus of the lamb in the thicket! God always provides if we have faith and wait, and of course the Lamb was provided for each of us! Thanks for the continued inspiration and blessings of your posts!
This story has always been a hard one for me. The tension almost unbearable.
I'm so behind on responding to comments! Forgive me everyone!
Stonefox, Sweetie, sing that little ditty any time you like! Bless you!
Dannis, Amen! And thank you so much for your sweet words. You are so right. We need to look!
Kimberly, Yes, amen! Trusting always for that ram! May you always find that one God has provided for you!
Manthano, Thank you! You bless me. I'm so happy it was an encouragement to you! Blessings to you!
Wayne, It was my deepest pleasure to draw attention to your ministry. Your light shines brightly and should not be ignored. Blessings, my friend!
Lynnda, Will be praying for you. I know the Lord will not let you dash your foot upon those rocks as you step out! May whatever you did be blessed!
judi, Still praying for you, dear friend!
gr8teful, So grateful to have your comments. Praying for you, too! Be blessed!
Sheila, Don't you live it when God confirms these things to us? Be blessed, dear one!
Lorrie, Watch out! That little chorus will get stuck in your head! LOL! Bless you, sweetie!
Sharon, It is hard to imagine, isn't it? I love reading about faithful Abraham! Blessings to you!
Katie, I hope none of us ever has to face that. Maybe something a little less dramatic! Thanks so much for commenting! Bless you!
Connie, Thank you, sweet friend! Your faithful comments are always a blessing!
L.L., I'm honored you stopped by! Thank you so much. You're so right...the tension is almost unbearable.
I always thought it interesting that, when God called Abraham to go, He spoke his name once. But when Abraham had the knife poised and ready to come down, He called out his Abraham's name twice.
Thank you for your obedience. Your words came at a critical time. God whipsered to me "There is a Ram in the thicket". I was in tears and at my breaking point. I'm at the height of my trial and felt like packing it all up and giving in from weariness. But I had one last blast of faith and I began to pray in the spirit and I refused to be defeated after coming all this way. Praise God for you. He lead me to you site and you have no idea how comforting it was. I am literally packing up on my way to a "new home". You have encouraged me and given me the wind beneath my wings to carry on and to mount up like an eagle. I will see the promises of God fulfilled in my life! I will sing songs of praise and worship Him up and down the hills of adversity. There is a sound of abundance! That is the Word He gave me going into this trial and the Word coming out is there is a Ram in the thicket just for me! Hallelujah! Victory is mine through Jesus Christ. May He bless you a hundred fold. 3 John 2:1
Oh...my...gosh! Syd, I am overwhelmed and humbled. Absolutely! I don't know how you found this piece unless you googled it. I praise the Lord for the words He gave me and they have so encouraged you. Praying that the Lord is the light to reveal your ram always. May He bless you in that you need.