Don't fight God when he bewilders you...

We've been having special services at church every Thursday night for the month of June. Last night the speaker was teaching out of Genesis 22. His third point was out of verses 7 and 8. Here is what they say... ⁷)And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

⁸)And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.

The speaker brought up a point that I've never really thought of before. Isaac was not clueless as to what was going on with this trip. He asked his father about the fire and the wood probably realizing that he was meant to be the sacrifice. Isaac didn't fight his father, or try to flee. Abraham also was not without his own questions and doubts, I'm sure. God had finally sent him a son. God had promised that Abraham's family would be more than could be numbered, and now he was asking Abraham to sacrifice the child of his old age. Abraham's answer to Isaac was simple: "God will provide himself a lamb." Abraham didn't know the answer to the question, he didn't understand what God was doing, but he knew that God would provide. It is so hard not to fight God when he bewilders us. When we don't understand, or cannot see what he is doing. When you think about it, once Abraham withstood this test, he actually knew the heart of a Father who would sacrifice his son. Abraham knew a pain that God himself knew. In James chapter 2 the Bible says: ²³)And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Could it be that Abraham had a closer relationship, and even a friendship with God because of the bond they held? We never know why God is working things in our lives. Sitting in the auditorium last night, knowing the burden of infertility I once carried, will probably carry again one day, knowing that my friend is in Gainesville carrying a burden we don't really totally understand, knowing that in the same room with me were many other people with many different burdens close to their heart, it was good to be reminded not to fight God. He's doing something great with our lives. Another thing the speaker pointed out was the life of Isaac. Isaac had odd chapters, and even chapters in his life. The odd chapters were very bad, and the even chapters very good. In chapter 21 Isaacs big brother is sent away (a family split), in the chapter last night (22) Isaac is spared from death by the ram in the thicket, and that chapter ends in his future bride being born. In chapter 23 Isaac loses his mother, in chapter 24 Isaac finds Rebekah and marries her. We can learn from the life of Isaac that bad things will happen in life. We just need to hold on and keep our hope in the Lord, because the even chapters are on their way, and we will have happiness and rejoicing again. I hope that I could kind of relay to you what I got out of the message last night. Every person reading my blog has had some kind of hard time in their life, I'm thinking of each of you right now. Thank God there are happy days after the trials. If you're going through a trial right now let me encourage you that God loves you, trust him and don't fight. He will carry you through