No Surprises… Please…
06.04.23
Genesis 22:1-14
The above referenced passage details the account of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. It’s a rough story. Isaac had been long promised. He was the child of two parents far beyond child-bearing age. He was God’s special gift to Abraham and Sarah. So, the command to sacrifice him is a rough one. And seemingly incongruent to a God of love. That being said, the entire portion demands an extensive study to make sure we see it the way God desires for us to see it. And while I still wince a bit at the idea of God asking Abraham what He does, it’s another thing in the passage that makes me wince as well. It’s in the first verse:
“Some time later God tested Abraham.”
I don’t like that whatsoever. And here’s why…
Tests are designed to expose what’s inside. To “show what you know.” Tests reveal something. They lay you bare. And I don’t like that. I don’t like that because sometimes when laid bare, we’re surprised by what we find—or don’t find. And I don’t like surprises. So, the idea of God testing me makes me squirm a bit because I feel like it’s going to be a surprise and I’ll be exposed…or at least parts of me that still need some work.
And yet, I can profess that the times of significant growth in my life have come not only through testing, but in allowing God to reveal to me through the testing what still needs to be given to Him. Sometimes, the testing reveals my priorities are right. That God is in the rightful place at the center of my life. Sometimes in the testing, my faith is shaken a bit because there’s some misalignment in my heart that needs to be addressed…hence the need for the test.
The bigger question is, will I participate in the process? Will I pray like the Psalmist, David, “Search me, God, and know my heart;
test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting.”
Psalm 139:23-24
As God tested Abraham so will He test all of us. The testing isn’t to surprise us with guilt or shame for falling short. No. It’s to invite us into a fuller encounter with who He is and what He has done for us. In the process, our faith is challenged and grown. May we all pray with David that God would search our hearts and allow Him to shape us more and more into the image of His Son.