“When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar…But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven…’Do not lay a hand on the boy,’ he said…Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.” Ge 22:9-13
Abraham was called to one of the most heart wrenching calls that anyone could be called to experience. He was to sacrifice his son as an offering to God. It didn’t make sense…it didn’t seem right…but it was clear what God was asking of him. Little did he know that as he was walking up to that place of surrender, God was leading a ram right into a thick clump of bushes that entangled its horns. Abraham had to experience living in the tension of watching his son die, and the shock of realizing his son was going to live. Little did he know…
Mary who had watched her little boy play among the trees had to witness the brutal torture and murder of her son up on a tree. As she awoke the next morning with her heartbreaking duty in front of her of preparing his body with spices she wondered if she had the strength. When she arrived, Jesus was gone but the messengers of hope revealed he was not there. Little did she know as she was walking towards the tomb that held death, Jesus was walking around near her full of life. She had to live in the in-between of saying goodbye and hearing hello. Little did she know…
When I was a little girl being saturated with stories of how God loved me, and everything He did for me, I felt safe and wanted to live out right instead of wrong. But somewhere along the way, my pursuit of acceptance and image became idols, and I lost my way. As I was desperately trying to figure out ways to pay off secret bills, God was waiting for the right time to invade my heart. Little did I know that in 2006 I would finally open the Bible again, and it would begin opening me changing my life forever. Little did I know…
There are many areas in my life that are still unknown mysteries. I try to be patient…I try to be obedient…I try to be confident. I ask…I seek…I knock. But when we see little activity in areas that have big decisions we tend to get discouraged. We see nothing happening on the horizon, but sometimes 'little do we believe’ that God is working relentlessly on our behalf. Little do I know when we will get work…little do I know when God will give us the wisdom we need in important decisions that face us. I’m sure there will be blessings and heartaches that are mine up ahead in 2018. Little do I know…
While we are living in the ‘slow middles’ of life, we can place complete trust in the God who knows everything. He can be trusted with every detail of our lives as we wait for His beautiful mysteries to be revealed. What I do know is that our God still provides the ram, still brings the dead to life and still invades our hearts.
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever, that we may observe all the words of this law.” De 29:29
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