When we Cannot Trace His Hand, Trust His Heart

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take 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.”

Genesis 22:1-2

Let’s take a walk with Abraham.

He has the legs and the spine of an elderly man, and moves cautiously up the mountain. His son Isaac is with him, carrying the wood for the offering upon his young back. This son, Abraham and Sarah’s delight, a gift of youth given in the last years of their lives. Isaac their promised child, now walking sure-footed along side his father.

Isaac is chattering, asking questions. For he and his father are alone. Abraham has asked the others to stay behind, to wait for them. Isaac is unaware, but Abraham knows, He knows what the LORD has asked of him. The weight in his heart far exceeds the weight of the offering wood that Isaac carries. The chattering falls on deaf ears that are tuned, straining to hear another voice. His eyes, unable to fall on his beautiful child, move between the dust under his feet and the barren landscape, searching, searching for an answer, another way.

Abraham cannot bear to bring to mind the boy’s mother, Sarah who is home, anticipating their return. Abraham cannot bear to look upon the head of his beloved son. He is questioning, questioning the goodness of a Father who named the boy, “he who laughs”. On this day, the lighthearted name seems cruel and moves the dagger into his own heart further. He questions the promises, a son from Sarah, kings of peoples, nations, and his inheritance, a covenant spoken by God Himself. He questions how time has pulled him from a day of promise to this day, a day of dread.

Abraham wills his legs to continue on up Mount Moriah.

Sometimes it is hard to remember God is good.

Sometimes there are more questions than answers.

Sometimes our hearts don’t align with our steps.

But we will our feet to continue when we know the heart of the Father.

Abraham binds his promised son, placing Isaac on the offering wood. A make-shift alter, an unthinkable sacrifice, hearts and expectations shattered, and then God interrupts the story-line. He provides a ram to take Isaac’s place. Abraham exhales, letting tears of gratitude and relief run from his eyes, acknowledging a God who came through.

Look and see how God responds to Abraham’s obedience.

“And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, ‘By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you obeyed my voice.'” (Genesis 22:15-18 ESV)

For a moment, it’s like God can’t speak blessings fast enough. It is as if they are spilling out of His mouth and raining onto Abraham’s head.

Abraham and God had been walking together a very long time and Abraham was well-practiced in obeying without understanding. If we want to know the way of the Father, we are going to have to walk with Him, everyday.

Abraham and God had been dialoging together for a very long time and Abraham knew the voice of the Father. If we want to hear the voice of the Father, we are going to have to talk to Him and then be still to learn His voice.

Throughout Abraham’s life, God never stops asking Abraham to cease doing hard things. He continually directs Abraham further into the unknown. If we want to trust the wisdom of the Father, we have to be willing to go beyond our own understanding.

Abraham’s obedience held blessings not just for Abraham, but for many generations and nations. Our obedience holds blessings for our children and our children’s children, and our children’s children after that. If we want to experience the overwhelming goodness of God, we have to believe what is written in His word over the feelings that are pounding in our chest.

I have been wrestling with God lately, over the same thing. It is a real thing, that hurts my heart in a real way. And it makes me angry that He is silent about it. It makes me feel like He is punishing me, or tricking me, or likes to make my heart hurt. It gets tricky when you believe whole heartedly that God is sovereign, because sometimes His sovereignty looks a bit like apathy, and it stings. I imagine though, that God’s provision for Abraham came with a reminder to Abraham that it was God who gave Isaac his name. And God knew all along that Abraham’s trek up the mountain would end in an awful big blessing.

It’s our faith in His faithfulness that He’s after, every single time.

There is another story about a beloved son moving up a hill, carrying the weight of wood on his broken back. Only this time the son does not belong to Abraham, the son belongs to God Himself. There is no substitute ram to bind against the wood, this time there is no alternate. This time, the son is the provision. A son willing his legs up the side of a hill, unable to trace the hand of the Father. A son willing his legs up the side of a hill, trusting the heart of the Father. A son rewriting the story-line for you and for me.

If you want to trust the heart of the Father, look to the Son.

---

“God is too good to be unkind and He is too wise to be mistaken. And when we cannot trace His hand, we must trust His heart.”

Charles Spurgeon