Confidence in God

So on Wednesday nights I have been working with the teenagers at West Side. I have been going through a series of lessons on purpose using clips from the movie Evan Almighty. Tonight’s lesson is about sacrifice and I am using the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac found in Genesis 22:1-19. As I was studying the text for the lesson something obvious jumped off the page at me.

I have read the story many times and even seen these very words, but they really made me think. When we are following God’s will in our lives how confident are we in God. I mean, I try to follow God every day, but I still worry about how I am going to provide for my wife and my self. I have put my trust in God, but how deeply have I done that?

But here is Abraham, asked by God to sacrifice Isaac the son he has waited so long on. As he leaves his servants behind to climb the mountain to offer that sacrifice he replies to the servants “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Abraham was following God’s difficult request, and all the while putting his full faith in God. He had confidence that God would provide for him. He knows somehow he was going to return with Isaac.

Now was that selfishness on Abraham’s part? Maybe. Was that insider knowledge? Maybe. Was that true trust and faith in God? Certainly. That is evident when Abraham grabs the knife to perform the sacrifice. Do we live out God’s purposes with that amount of faith and confidence in what He has said He will do? I know at times I don’t.