Abraham’s Faith in Going Where He Knew Not
Abraham, by faith, heard God’s spoken Word and left Mesopotamia. God’s spoken Word was enough for him to lead his family to leave Mesopotamia without knowing where he was going.
The Lord did not tell him. What could have hindered his obedience to God’s instruction and direction?
- It is not knowing what lies ahead of him
- It was not knowing where he was going.
- He was leaving the country where he was born and grew up.
- He was going to an unfamiliar country, culture, people, food, living conditions, etc.
- He left his relatives, brothers and sisters, and his father’s house, which he had grown up in and was still staying in then.
Following the Lord’s leading in the natural will lead us to God’s eternal purpose. The Lord leads us in the natural and will lead us to fulfil His eternal purpose in our church.
Sarah’s Faith for a Miracle
Sarah heard the Lord tell Abraham that she would have a son, specifically a son, not a daughter when she was beyond childbearing age.
She heard something impossible, and to believe, she had to combine what she heard with her already-existing faith.
This is the difference between her and Abraham.
She already had faith and believed God was faithful in fulfilling His promise.
Now, she heard something impossible: she would conceive in old age.
So, she mixed what she heard that was impossible with her faith in God, who is faithful to perform what He promised.
When she mixed the impossibility she heard with her faith that God is able, she received strength or power that was released through the gift of working miracles to change her body condition to conceive a seed.
The steps Sarah needed to take were:
- She heard God’s spoken Word that she would conceive, and faith came.
- She had to mix what she heard with her faith that God is faithful to fulfil what He promised.
- She did believe and had to believe.
- Then, she had to act on her beliefs and continue to make a baby with Abraham.
Sarah had to combine what she heard with her faith for a miracle to happen. She already had faith that God was faithful to fulfil His promises.
Abraham’s Faith in the Ultimate Sacrifice
God spoke to Abraham about offering Isaac as a sacrifice on Mount Moriah. Abraham heard from God, and faith came.
God did not test Abraham, but the assignment tested Abraham because no one had ever had such an assignment from God and never will.
God knew Abraham would obey and pass the test, so God gave him the assignment. God will never give us an assignment, knowing we will fail or cannot do it. But God had given many assignments to people, and they would not do them—not because they were unable to but because they were not willing. God never gives us an assignment to fail us. When God gives us an assignment, He knows we can, and we believe we can.
When God gives us something to do that we have not done before, we should believe we can.
God told Abraham that his son, Isaac, was the son through whom Jesus would come, yet God told Abraham to sacrifice him.
There was a contradiction. What should Abraham do? What should you do if a contradicting instruction from the Lord confronts you?
Firstly, Abraham should believe that the Seed would come from his descendants through Isaac. Secondly, Abraham should obey by sacrificing his son, Isaac.
Abraham should have believed that God would raise Isaac. Then, the latest instruction would have been consistent with the first and not contradictory.
We obey the previous instructions and the latest instructions. Here is where following the Holy Spirit’s leading comes in. When hearing from the Holy Spirit about the latest instruction, we should be clear about whether it contradicts the previous instructions.
Following the leading of the Holy Spirit is one of the most important lessons we continue to learn and practise.
God’s characteristic is that He will not tell us everything simultaneously. As usual, He will give us the first instruction to obey. And as we obey Him, He will show us which mountain when the time comes.
God gave Abraham a general direction: to go to Mount Moriah, Jerusalem.
Abraham walked for three days, and when he approached Mount Moriah, he knew which mountain to climb. When he saw Mount Moriah, the Lord showed him which mountain to climb and sacrifice Isaac.
Abraham needed to go to Mount Moriah by faith, and then he could see which mountain to climb.
On the mountain of the Lord, God will provide for Himself, the lamb for the sacrifice. That means God must provide. If He does not provide for you, He is not providing for Himself. God must provide because He will not fail to provide for Himself. When God provides for you as you obey Him and embark on His journey destined for you, He provides for Himself because the journey is His plan.