Perspective

"Some time later, God tested Abraham...Take your son...sacrifice him." Genesis 22:1-2


Many of our LIFE Groups finished up our study on the life of Abraham in the last week or two. The last section focused on this central story of Abraham's life. It would really become the story that defined his life. Abraham waits 25 years to have a child. He's over 100 years old now. This is his only son. This is the son God promised. This will be his heir that begins a family that will outnumber the stars in the sky, so said God. And this is confusing now. Now God is telling Abraham to throw it all away, to sacrifice Isaac? It makes no sense. But this is a test.
 
When I think about this, I think about the idea of 'perspective.' My first thought is, "How can God ask Abraham to do something so harmful and vile?' Abraham could see two almost impossible perspectives: 1-Obey God and my child dies. 2-Disobey God and my child lives. Impossible. Think about God's perspective, though. In God's eyes, Isaac won't be harmed either way. God also has two very different perspectives: 1-He disobeys me and the boy lives. 2-He obeys me and the boy lives because I'll stop Abraham from killing him. It's a simple test for God. It boils down to one question from God to Abraham: Will you trust me even when it doesn't make sense? Same goes for us. Will we trust him? Will we do His will even when it seems crazy? Sometimes, we still get tests. Let us be as faithful as Abraham when life throws us those opportunities to choose obedience over our own path.  Let us trust that God is seeing things from a perspective that we can't possibly fathom.  And let us trust that perspective.