4 Proofs when Faith is Tested

Read Genesis 22.

Reading this chapter, as a Dad, I am always grateful that this was not my test.  In Hebrew the word "test" means "prove".  It is one thing to say we believe in God, to say that we trust Him, to say that we are followers of Him.  It is quite another to actually put it into practice.  It is faith in action.  It is walking the talk.

Dr. Crawford Loritts, in his excellent book Leadership as an Identity, devotes the last three chapters to what he calls "radical, immediate obedience."  No matter how strange or unthinkable it seemed to Abraham, he arose early in the morning and set out to do what God had commanded. 

What was Abraham thinking?  He did not know how it would turn out.  He did not if and when God would intervene.  He only knew one thing and that is all that he needed to obey.  See verse 8: "God will provide..."  It is from this statement that learn one of the names of God-"Jehovah-Jireh", the LORD will provide.  Hebrews 11 helps us to further understand how much Abraham trusted God here. "He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead..."   All of God's promises to Abraham and future generations were on the line.  Yet, this was not a test of God faithfulness.

There are four proofs as a result of this one test that I believe apply to the tests of our faith today.
1. This is a proof of Abraham's willingness.  God did not want Abraham to kill his son.  He wanted Abraham to be absolutely willing to do whatever God asked him to do.  Radical, immediate obedience.

2. This is a proof of God's trustworthiness.  The commands of God in His Word and the Biblical principles of life are most often counter cultural.  Sometimes what God wants us to do does not make sense to us.  Human nature wants to see the outcome in advance.  But the believer has been called to walk by faith.  If what God wants is clear we will discover 100% of the time that God is worthy of our complete trust.     

3. This is a proof of God's faithfulness.  He did provide at exactly the right moment.  I wish God would provide in advance so we could avoid the crisis.  But faith does not grow in a comfort zone and we do not get to see the faithful hand of God at work when there is no need. 

4. This is a proof of God's truthfulness.  God made a promise to Abraham and his descendants.  Next, He made it an everlasting covenant.  Then, He miraculously provides Isaac to continue to the promise.  To slay Isaac seemed to contradict all that God had said.  However, God did not change His mind, nor His Word.  The angel repeated the promise again.  God's promises is true and completely reliable.