#DailyDevotion You May Experience Some Terrible Things As A Christian
1st Sunday in Lent
Genesis 22:1–18
1After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” 2He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
Unlike Abraham, God is not going to tell you to sacrifice your child. God will allow numerous things to come into your life, sometimes horrific and sometime just horribly heartbreaking. What are you going to do with it? Abraham was told to sacrifice his son, his only son at age when his wife isn’t going to give him anymore. Isaac himself was a miracle, a child of promise. What did he do? He trudged the road with his son to the place the Lord commanded him trusting that the Lord knew what he was doing. We know from Hebrews that he trusted the Lord was able to raise his son from the dead, but to accomplish that he would still have to obey the Lord and offer up Isaac as a sacrifice. Even with all the faith in the world, that would not be an easy task.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, as the Father was about to offer him up as the Lamb the Lord provided, with perfect faith prays to the Father, “if there is another way, but not my will but yours be done.” With great trepidation, sorrow and pains to the depths of his soul he bows to the Father’s will and goes willingly to the cross. Being God and having perfect faith did not lessen the burden.
Now what are you going to do when the Father allows that one thing which many a person says, “I can’t believe in a God that would allow, do xyz?” Are you going to trust the Father and believe He knows what He is doing when He allows such things to happen? You may never know or see in this lifetime what the Lord has planned and done with the evil we encounter in our lives cause by the devil and wicked people. It is not an easy thing trudging out this life of faith we have been called to.
Sometimes the best we can ever do with the faith the Lord gives us is not lose hope that God’s promises ring true. God will accomplish what he sets out that is best for us, the Church and the spreading of the Gospel. He promises, “God works all things out for good for those who love God who have been called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8) We know God has a purpose in our suffering. (Rom. 5 and 2 Cor. 1) Yet the suffering, the tragedy, the heartache, the pain doesn’t cease to exist because we have faith in Christ. But our faith in Christ is purified and our hope is made more certain when we look to Christ on the cross and know the suffering he endured for our sake.
Heavenly Father, throughout whatever trials and tribulations that may come our way, grant us such faith in Christ that we may not lose hope so that we may obtain our heavenly goal, through Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit. Amen.