I chose to walk with God
I wasn’t forced and I learned
I had to walk His way, not mine.
He called away from norm, up to heights.
I could have given Him up right there
But I chose to climb that mountain with Him.
Ancient fears, nagging doubts and habits
Turned a conflagration, threatening.
I could have turned back but I persisted;
I continued not because I thought I could
I finished because I trusted Him
I reached the other side eyes set on Him alone.
Sorrow for transient loss drove me deeper
Into the arms, into the heart of the Eternal.
In the place of my loss, I found the Father
I would have lost to disobedience
And under His wings, I learned to soar.
That day, I climbed Moriah, a weeping mess
And reemerge wearing badges; God delights!
Out of my ashes rose flourishing faith
Out of my losses unrivalled gains.

After Abraham had the discussion with God about sacrificing Isaac his son, the deal was sealed. His obedience was not in question. He gathered servants, wood and son and set out to do exactly what God had asked of him. He was not climbing that mountain hoping God will change His mind. He was negotiating as they went with God, hoping halfway, the Almighty will turn them back home. He didn’t think that God was testing Him. This was his cross and Abraham, the faithful servant of the Most High was going to deliver as requested by the Master no matter what it cost him. How many of us can God trust to deliver despite what our obedience costs us?

“God will provide the lamb for sacrifice,” was Abraham’s response when Isaac asked about the lamb for the sacrifice. That was not the answer of a disturbed father who was in emotional turmoil concerning what he has been asked to do. It was the answer of a man at peace with God and with himself in spite of whatever concerns the task at hand held over his mind. The peace within and about Abraham, which equally reflected in His response also set Isaac at peace as they made that precarious journey. What tone does your attitude and word set at home, at work and wherever else you go? Truth is, not the dead but those who trust God rest in His peace and it shows, it spreads.

So focused on now, we are blind to the invisible workings of the Almighty with whom nothing is impossible. As He charts courses, breaking new grounds on old problems, we miss the adventure because we are all focused on what besieges us. We are buried in our issues instead of looking up to God. Any wonder when God asks something of us, it feels like an insensitive request, “I thought He cared? He knows this is all I have. Why would He want the only thing I’ve got when He hasn’t given all the ones I’ve been waiting for? Does He truly really care?”

Unwillingness blinds and cuts us off from resources God provided ahead of the event to help us sail through. But when we trust and obey, following Him one step at a time, God’s grace rises above our challenges and leaves us amazed at our newfound abilities and rates of recovery. The majority of us want to walk closely with God and we forget that before trust comes a test. A lot of us have failed and are failing without realizing that we are being tested. To us, those situations are hard demands and harsh conditions of life. Yet, those are what God uses to prove where our heart is. Nobody gets an alert that today is the day of test or that this is the subject of the test. It comes as we live, like the everyday challenges we must face. And therein the quality of our hearts and faith is proven; faithful or treacherous.

Like Abraham didn’t know it was a test, so we don’t know until the result is out. What does that say to us today? There is no special time or event that will bring our dream to pass. Every day, through everything that comes our way, opportunities come for us to demonstrate where our heart and treasure rests. When you are tested, may you not be found wanting. Like Abraham, may you stand confirmed, a man, a woman of faith. As you go through your present experience, do not be afraid to climb up Moriah when God calls that way. When we willingly release what is in our hands, God paves spacious rooms for enduring blessings, much more than we could ever imagine or ask for.

Blessings
Glory!