He raised the knife

He sat for just a moment looking longingly at his son. His hopes and dreams all rested on the life that lay before him. He thought of all the days they had walked and talked together, and he remembered the day he was born. The excitement and the unknown possibilities were more than he could imagine. He wasn’t just a good boy. He was a boy whom his father loved dearly. He was a smart boy who helped get the work done, learned quickly, and was extremely helpful. He loved to laugh and could make you laugh, too. Everything about this boy was what every man dreamed for in a son.

Then he raised the knife.

He didn’t just begin to move slowly toward the boy. He raise the knife high over his head with intent to deliver a strong and deadly blow. He hoped to be quick so as to cause no pain for the boy and yet the pain in his own heart was almost too great to bear. He caught a glimpse of the boy’s tears running down his cheek and forced himself to ignore the look of horror in the boy’s eyes. He could scarcely see because of the tears in his own.

Now consider this. We know the end of the story, but when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his sone, Abraham did not know the ending. When he pulled the knife back, he wasn’t looking around for the ram. He didn’t pause at the top and say “God, are you sure about this?” I suspect that his intent was so focused that the rustling in the bushes had to be close by and fearfully startling. Why? Because when he raised the knife, he was prepared to come down with the knife. Abraham loved Isaac, but his devotion to God was greater than his love for his son even though it was contrary to everything he knew and believed to be true in his past and promised for his future.

On this father's day, I ask my self, "Am I willing to sacrifice what God is asking of me?" What is God asking of you? Is He asking you to sacrifice your children, or is He just asking you to stop watching television. Maybe He is just asking you to cancel your cell phone and send the money to a missionary every month. Maybe He is just asking you to quit your job. Maybe He is just asking you to pray with your wife every morning or submit to your husband’s leadership. These things are trivial compared to sacrificing your children, but they are not so trivial in every day life. It also wasn’t trivial when God Almighty held back His power and was willing to watch His own son die to be able to have a relationship with you, and, still, we have a long list of things we can’t give up for Him.

Why not? Are these things so great that being obedient to the Creator pales in comparison? Living with peace in your heart knowing that the God of the universe is pleased with you isn’t worth it? Let’s do a priority check. Let’s take whatever it is and tie it up so tight that it can’t get free again. Don’t look at it and think about how much you want it. Ignore it if it seems to call to you and beg you not to do this. Then raise the knife and don’t look for the ram. God will provide if we obey Him and then we will reach the heights of success.