Abraham: A Life of Obedience

11/09/21 – 11/18/21

Not Limiting God

By Michael Youssef, Ph D.  11/18/21

It’s natural to look out for number one. But this focus on self takes us off course in our walk of faith. We may profess devotion and obedience to God, yet we seldom are willing to give up anything for Him. In Genesis 22, we see that Abraham was told to give up not just a little something—he was told to give up his long-awaited and treasured son, Isaac.

“Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you'” (Genesis 22:1-2).

Can you imagine the pain of hearing those words? After years of waiting for his promised son, God then calls Abraham to sacrifice him. Most of us would claim that we had misheard God. We would try to bargain with Him or to run and hide our beloved treasure from Him. Yet, the Bible gives no indication that Abraham put up a fight.

How could he go along with such a plan? Abraham’s faith was bigger than his fear of losing his son forever. After a lifetime of lessons in his walk of faith, Abraham had finally learned not to limit God with human thinking. Hebrews 11:17-19 gives us a glimpse of Abraham’s faith in God’s faithfulness:

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

Prayer: God, help me surrender totally to You and Your plan for my life. Help me to not put human limits on You, for You are far greater than I can even imagine. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

“Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?” (Job 36:23).