Day 7: God Himself will provide
Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. (Genesis 22:7-8).
Faithful, covenant God, God of promise, we worship You. You are the God in whom [Abraham] believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not (Romans 4:17). We praise Your marvelous design and Your unfathomable ways.
By covenant, You had promised a Savior to the world, through Abraham, who was to become a father of many nations (Genesis 17:5, Romans 4:17). The years went by and no child arrived. Yet, although Abraham's body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and... [his wife] Sarah’s womb was also dead, [Abraham] did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God... (Romans 4:19-20).
The son of promise, Isaac, was eventually born when Abraham and Sarah were long past natural childbearing years. But after all the years of waiting, and with full knowledge that the entire promise was built on his son, Abraham again chose to obey You when You asked him to sacrifice Isaac.
And on the way to the mountain of sacrifice, as Isaac asked Abraham the excruciatingly innocent question, "where is the lamb?" Abraham answered in some of the most profound, prophetic words in Scripture, "God Himself will provide the lamb..." (Genesis 22:8).
Father, You revealed to Abraham later that the instruction to sacrifice his son was a test to prove the depth of his commitment: Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from Me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12).
But in remarkable ways, You arranged the details to point to Your own Son, Your only Son, Jesus Christ, the ultimate Son of Promise, whom You would sacrifice for the children of Abraham. And in the process, You created a powerful lesson of faith for Isaac, sealing the continuation of faith from father to son—affirming and reaffirming Your everlasting covenant.
Father, Scripture tells us that Abraham became the father of faith for all who were to believe: ...The promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace... guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.... He is our father in the sight of God… (Romans 4:16-17).
Help us to pass on the faith of our fathers, not just by what we say, but by demonstrating, like Abraham, unwavering faith and total commitment to You in times of testing and difficulty. Give us the faith to trust You, to in hope believe against all hope what You have said to us (Romans 4:18).
May every mountain of sacrifice be for us a place of opportunity to point to the God who provides.
