Crossroads

Originally posted in this weblog on February 22, 2008

“So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey,
and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son;
and he split the wood for the burnt offering,
and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.”
(Genesis 22:3, NKJV)

Isaac was the son of promise. Yet the very same God who made the promise tells Abraham to offer “your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love” as a burnt offering. It surely doesn’t make sense to him.

But Abraham was a man of faith, and faith is tested, proven, and rooted in obedience.

I am amazed at the depth of this man’s faith. The kind that makes him willing to obey and let go of his only son. Without a murmur, without a complaint. Just a yes.

How much faith was needed before he could confidently say to his menservants, “Stay here with the donkey, the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”

Look how tenderly Abraham responds to Isaac’s question:

Isaac: My father!

Abraham: Here I am, my son.

Isaac: Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

Abraham: My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.

What guarantees did he have? What kind of faith did he possess that he could speak about such things so matter-of-factly? Tears well up in my eyes as I imagine this conversation between father and son. Here he was, very close to losing his own son, and yet he speaks so gently, so softly.

Then in just a few more minutes, Isaac himself realizes the truth: he was to be the burnt offering. At the moment of realization, Isaac had no other choice but to hold on to his father’s faith.

At this point, both father and son have nothing, only the faith that God will act.

As a woman I wonder about certain details. Did Abraham embrace his son before tying him up and putting him on the altar? I’m quite sure he did. Did Isaac struggle? Maybe.

But the Bible is silent and highlights, instead, the kind of faith that both Abraham and Isaac demonstrated at a crossroads in their life.

We are familiar with the rest of the story. As Abraham was about to slay his son, God did provide a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. And in this place of painful obedience, Abraham’s life takes a turning point. So real was Abraham’s encounter with God that he calls the place, “The Lord Will Provide.”

In this place of provision, when he thought he was facing a dead end, Abraham’s faith was rewarded. God speaks to him these awesome words of blessing:

“Because … you have not withheld your son, your only son--

blessing, I will bless you,

and multiplying, I will multiply your descendants

as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore,

and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies."

(Gen. 22:16-17, NKJV)

In the physical as in the spiritual realm, there are road signs telling us which way to go. They warn of what lies ahead. Wise indeed is the traveler that heeds them. He knows that these signs help prevent costly, even fatal, accidents.

Sharp curve. Detour. Yield. Crossroads.

Crossroads present choices. Which way do I go? But I can only choose to go in one direction.

FLASHBACK:

I was 36 and my husband had just confirmed my worst fears. We had known a quiet and fairly comfortable life. But now we were hitting rock bottom financially. This is something nobody ever expects and I certainly wasn’t ready for it. Yet I believe my heavenly Father had been showing me some road signs even before it happened.

Sharp curve ahead.

How does one prepare for something like this? I was young, and my husband was in the middle of a promising career. Our children were ages 9, 6 and 4. I remember writing in my journal entry these words: “I knew that sooner or later my faith would be tested. I just had no idea in what form the testing would come.”

Yield.

My heavenly Father was asking me, “Can you trust Me with your life?”

I wanted to answer, “Do I really have a choice?”

At that time, faith to me was just a panacea, a cure-all. Easier said than done. You find the word in theology books and glowing testimonies. But this is real life! Where does real faith, the kind that can move mountains, come in?

“I want my life back, Lord.”

Henri Nouwen writes of the kind of faith that willingly opens its hand and lets go of the last coin.

I was face to face with a hard choice. To give up, to let go, to give in. To offer as a sacrifice what I hold dear and precious in my life. To say, “Yes, Lord,” even if I don’t understand. Even if deep inside of me, I’d rather not. Asking God to give me the grace, and the gentle strength, to yield.

I chose to open up my hand and let go of my last coin. I chose to trust.

It was only the beginning of my faith journey.

That was nineteen years ago. I have learned many lessons the hard way. The sides of my faith box had to be flattened out to enable me to see beyond my self-imposed boundaries. I found out that faith is really just a handle. It is the Object of my faith that matters.

I have experienced God first hand to be the God who provides.

But although I know the rewards of trusting and obeying are real: blessings of deeper faith, provision, multiplication, and possessing the gates of my enemies (vindication), there is no substitute for the greatest reward of all.

God Himself.

Dear friend, are you at a crossroads in your life? What difficult choices are you facing right now? Do you hear yourself asking your heavenly father, “My Father, where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” What is His tender reply to you?

PRAYER:
“Father, I don’t always understand, or see the end of the road, but You are a God who can be counted on. When I have nothing to hold on to but my meager, mustard seed faith, I ask You to open my eyes and reveal to me options I never thought possible. Above all, lead me closer to Your heart. You’re all I want.”