Do you hold back when God makes a request or gives you direction?
Abraham did not. When God gave instructions to sacrifice his son, Isaac, he obeyed. We are told he cut the wood for the burnt offering, rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and journeyed for three days to the land of Moriah with Isaac and two servants.
“When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son.” [Genesis 22:9-10]
At that point, God stopped him.
We are told Abraham feared the Lord. What is the fear of the Lord? These four points seem to capture the essence of this theological term:
- Having a deep respect, reverence, and awe for God’s power and authority.
- Recognizing God’s infinite power, wisdom, and authority over all creation.
- Standing in awe of His majesty, power, wisdom, justice, and mercy.
- Being soberly aware of His divine authority and not trivializing His judgment or wrath.1
Before this illustration of trust is given in Genesis 22, we are told in the first sentence that this request was a test. What might stop us from giving our all, exhibiting complete trust in God? Or maybe not even stepping forward in obedience?
–Fear might cause us to hold back.
Not the same “fear” of the Lord but the Mirriam Webster Dictionary definition: “An unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger.”
Anticipating failure can stifle me. Or the fear of looking foolish in my attempts. Or the fear of criticism. Lists of fears seem to flow easily from my pen, how about you?
–Self-focus could hold us back.
Often, we look at our talent, skills, finances, resources; everything but God. When there is a request for money, my reaction is to look at my bank account rather than ask God for direction. Requests for help, may be selected according to my schedule. Before taking on a ministry, I may consider the skills I have to perform the task. How about you?
—A meager attitude might result in holding back.
We live meagerly when we look at what is not instead of what is. Therefore, our work is not abundant nor is it our best. Those who don’t hold back are willing, like Isaiah, to raise their hand when God asks “whom shall I send?” and reply “Here I am! Send me.” [Isaiah 6:8] Do you do your best work abundantly?
Because Abraham did not hold back, God did not hold back either. He blessed him promising to multiply his offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore.
If our life seems to be less than what it could be, maybe we need to spend some time reviewing all the opportunities we missed in 2024. Were they a test? It’s not too late to ask God to help us recall the instructions and give us another chance.
©2024 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved
Photo from Pixabay
References:
–Definition of “fear of the Lord” from bing.com, compiled from lifehopeandtruth.com, christianwebsite.com, and biblestudytools.com.