Last night we had a wonderful staff appreciation dinner provided by the deacons of Living Hope. After the dinner, we were treated to a concert by Andrew Peterson. A song that he sang “Holy Is the Lord” brought tears to my eyes. It is the story of Abraham being called by God to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Here is the last verse of the song:
So take me to the mountain
I will follow where You lead
There I’ll lay the body
Of the boy You gave to me
And even though You take him
Still I ever will obey
But Maker of this mountain, please
Make another way
This story in Genesis 22 has always been a favorite of mine for a number of reasons. One, God later did to His Son what He did not require of Abraham that day. Some 1,500 years later on that same hill where Abraham tied up Isaac and was prepared to kill him, God sacrificed His Son, Jesus Christ, to pardon us of our sins to set us free from the punishment of eternal hell. Two, Abraham’s faith was what it should’ve been. It was steadfast even in the face of great sacrifice. Abraham was willing to obey God no matter what. Three, God provided a ram for the sacrifice. It reminds us that God always provides.
As I sat and listened to Andrew sing last night, tears began to well up in my eyes as I considered my own faith or I should say the lack of it. I asked myself, “Would I sacrifice one of my sons? Would I give to God whatever He asked of me?” And I had to repent because I saw some things that were off limits to God. In my heart I opened my life and said, “God you can have my reputation – no one has to love or appreciate me. You can have my life’s work – nothing of significance has to happen for me to trust and love you and be overjoyed with you. You can have my family – they are loved more by you than me and I trust them into your care. You can have my income and all my possessions – all I need is you. Do what you will. I am yours. I would rather have you and no earthly thing than have any earthly thing but not you. ”
As soon as I prayed that prayer, my mind immediately went to a scene in an old movie. It was the 1966 movie “The Bible: In the Beginning...” In that movie there is a scene where Abraham is about to sacrifice his son Isaac who is bound and lying face up on the altar he had helped his father Abraham build. Isaac looks up at his father and asks, “Is there nothing that he may not ask of thee?” And Abraham replies, “Nothing.”
What about you? Is there anything that God cannot ask of you? Can he ask you for your time, your abilities, your income and possessions, your reputation, your family, or your need to be significant and successful?
Is there anything of you that is off limits to God? Or are you like Abraham. Can the God who bought you with the blood of His Son have all of you? Is God truly Lord of all of your life?
Send me your questions or comments to jpettus@lhbg.org.
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