"I swear, declares the Lord, that because you have not withheld your son, your only son, I will bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the shore… through your offspring, all nations on earth will be blessed because you have obeyed Me."
Genesis 22: 16-18
A 3-month old girl was diagnosed with a condition called Kawasaki Disease, a rare yet potentially debilitating viral disease that attacks many organs of the body, particularly the heart. Being the first and only child of a newly-married couple, one can just imagine the harrowing experience her parents must have gone through knowing their daughter’s ordeal and seeing her go through repeated tests for monitoring. In one instance, as the nurse was drawing blood from her foot, her father suddenly broke down in exasperation and said: "If I can only take all the needle punctures, the pain that she goes through, I would. A million times over just so she is spared."
That little girl is my niece. I will never forget that very difficult time when everyone in the family was pained by her suffering and worried that she might not make it through. Though we have earnestly cried out to God for healing, we were in a constant state of agitation for young as she is, we just could not give her up. Not someone so dear, so precious.
In Genesis 22, God tested Abraham by asking him to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. A man of faith that he is, he unwaveringly trod the path to the altar for burnt offerings and with complete trust in the Lord, poised himself to kill his son. Fast forward to the time when Jesus was hanging on the cross –did you ever wonder, being God and for who He is, was it easy for Him to give up His only begotten Son as Abraham did with Isaac? I bet it wasn’t! For which parent could ever take lightly what suffering his child goes through? But out of His great love for us, He gave up His Precious Lamb for mankind’s sake – for you, for me, for that annoying colleague of yours, for your unromantic spouse or your exacting boss. He let His child go through that unthinkable ordeal because He wants us to share in His eternal glory. Isn’t that a humbling thought?
Now who is your personal Isaac? It could be a loved one, a flourishing career, a rewarding hobby, even your ministry work. Anything or anyone that competes with God for the number 1 slot in your heart is your Isaac. Are you willing to let go of it as Abraham did with the son he waited for more than 90 years for when God asks you to?
It is said in Luke Chapter 9: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me". Living in a maddening world at these times, it is not always easy to make certain sacrifices in order to be right in His sight. Most of us would struggle with emotions, apparent needs, pressures, circumstances etc. before we can fully come into terms with what He is asking us to do and what He is urging us to surrender. But we must always remember that through these sacrifices, we are being consistently being developed to become more like Him. As a sculptor chisels marble inch by inch in order to create a beautiful image, God patiently molds us not to punish but to perfect us. And for this, as He had promised Abraham, He will abundantly bless you with grace as you persevere and peace beyond measure because you obeyed.
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