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September 12, 2004
a thought from my quiet time:
James 2:22 -- "You see that his (Abraham's) faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did (referring to offering his son Issac on the alter of the Lord)"
I've been conteplating my faith, and praying that God would make me evermore a woman of faith. I've been thinking about the little things that God calls me to sacrifice, or be willing to sacrifice, to be able to please him through my obedience.
I think it takes a great deal of faith to obey the Lord, and I have been asking daily for the faith to do what He asks of me without looking back or wavering. I think as I think on the story of Abraham and Issac, I am most compelled by how he just kept going, he did not fight God, but trusted that he had a purpose. And you know what? The Lord provided for Abraham and Issac, he provided a ram fit for sacrifice and spared Issac.
I know that the lord isn't going to ask me to to give up everything in my life, but I think that he wants me to be free from attachments and have to faith to know that He is in control and all I have to do is obey him.
Posted by Angelina at September 12, 2004 02:06 PM
Comments
Funny, I was just listening to a conversation on public radio about Abraham sacrificing Isaac. And the focus of the conversation was on Isaac, not Abraham. I've thought about this before but not a lot and so it was good to hear this.
The Jewish tradition really looks at Isaac as giving himself willingly to Abraham trusting in his "father's wise bestowment," to quote a hymn. He was completely surrendered. There's a Jewish poem about it that even says how Isaac asked his father to lay him face down, because Isaac worried that Abraham may have relented in obeying God's command if he could see his son's face.
A lot of times, I wonder, whether we fret too much about obedience and not enough about surrender. In a way we work at obeying because maybe we want to maintain control.
We pray for things and want God to give them to us. We obey and expect a reward. God is our pet. Our genie in a bottle. Isn't he a nice God? we say. We try to fit him into our life when he wants us to fit into his.
He's too big for us. He does what he wants. He goes where he wants. He gives and takes away. We need to be swallowed by him. Engulfed by him. If we truly understood him, and his love for us, obedience wouldn't be the issue it often is.
I'm not suggesting any of this applies to you necessarily, Angie. I have the same struggles. We all do. Your post just made me think.
Just asking questions, searching and supposing.
Posted by: Dan Benson at September 12, 2004 04:51 PM
Hey Angie,
I've got nothing to contribute, but it's good to hear from you again in blogland. I miss you. I hope everything is going well for ya. Hugs!
Posted by: Megan at September 12, 2004 06:41 PM
dan- I understand what you're saying. It is interesting to think of the story from Issac's perspective... I also think that to truly obey one must surrender his or her own expectations. When you choose to obey you also surrender your life, it's not yours to decide upon anymore, it's a sign of living for something and someone else.
megan- thanks for positively reinforcing me actually blogging, maybe it'll happen more than once a week.
Posted by: Angie at September 12, 2004 11:32 PM
wow. i've never thought of the story like that. I'd just kinda glossed over the fact that he was coherent enough to ask his father where the lamb was coming from, or that maybe Abraham knocked him unconscious or something...
mostly I'm just commenting so the links on your sidebar update... :)
Posted by: matt at September 15, 2004 11:12 PM
matt, you're strange. very strange. but thanks.
Posted by: Angie at September 16, 2004 10:29 AM