Theme: Rethink: Faith and Doubt
Weekend Music links on iTunes: Hosanna (Praise is Rising) - Brenton Brown, Let God Arise - Chris Tomlin, From the Inside Out - Hillsong, Lead Me to the Cross - Hillsong
Read: Genesis 22:1-18
Think: When things are going well, it’s pretty easy to make sense of life. We may have the tendency to see life in a formula: “self-discipline” plus “good morals” equals “God’s blessing”. Except when the formula doesn’t work and “self-discipline” plus “good morals” equals “lay off” or “divorce” or “sickness”. Then our delicate understanding of life is rocked. God challenges us to stop trusting the formula and our own ability to make life work, and to lean harder into trusting him. It is during these times that our faith is deepened.
Genesis 22 tells the story of God testing Abraham’s faith. Things were clipping right along with Abraham: he had prosperity, he had safety, and he had his promised son, Isaac. But then the formula cracked wide open and God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to him. This was not at all in Abraham’s expectations or plan, and seemed counter to God’s promise for Abraham and Isaac’s life.
Abraham is called a great man of faith because even when life didn’t make sense, didn’t meet his expectations, and didn’t fit the formula, Abraham trusted God anyway. In fact, the scripture says that Abraham’s faith was accounted to him as righteousness (Romans 4:9). When you get to know Abraham in the scripture, you will find that like us, he didn’t always have the first two variables of the formula of “self-discipline” and “good morals” plugged in right, but he still got “God’s blessing” in the end because of his deep faith in God.
Where ever we are on our spiritual journey, the scriptures remind us to have faith that God exists, that God is good, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11:6).
Do: Write down how you feel God is testing your faith. What will you do in response?
Pray: Lord, thank you for giving me the things I need to fulfill your will. Help me to trust you with every step I take so that my faith and devotion to you will be deepened.
The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.