In a firm and steady voice with a heavy hispanic accent this strong mother said, “My son was kidnapped when he was five years old and it was during this time that God showed me the only way to survive was to offer my son up to Him.”
Instantly I was mentally pulled into her story imagining this scenario and knowing she is relating it to our Bible study lesson of Abraham offering up his son Isaac as God directed.
Genesis 22:2 – Then God said: Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There offer him up as a burnt offering on one of the heights that I will point out to you.
We hear this story and balk at the very idea that God would direct Abraham to do such a heinous act. He’d just blessed Sarah with Isaac in her old age and promised Abraham his descendants and their descendants generations after would have the Lord’s blessing. So why suddenly would the Lord ask Abraham to sacrifice his son?
As it says in Genesis 22:12 – “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the angel. “Do not do the least thing to him. For now I know that you fear God.” (Fear as in devotion, respect and obedience to God.)
God made a promise to Abraham and Abraham believed that promise so he knew to do whatever God directed. If God were to allow Abraham to follow through with the sacrifice the promise would have been broken.
“The time my boy was gone I had only one promise to rely on and that was the love of God,” the speaker continued. “I knew in order for me to survive the fact that my son was in their possession I had to give him up to God. I had to believe God would take care of him no matter the outcome and I had to put everything I was into that belief. In the darkest days of my life I put God first.”
52 days later her little boy was returned to her and when they were reunited her little boy said to his mother, “Thank you for telling me that you are always with me. I knew you would save me.”
“To save my boy I had to offer him up and receive my full conversion to God for him and for my family,” she said and smiled victorious.
This woman sharing her correlation with Abraham in the focus today was a reminder of how God needs to be first in all things, not just the ones we pick and choose or the areas we ‘think’ God would make a difference. In all things.
Another comment that jumped out at me was from a woman who sat next to me in small group. She commented on the woman having her conversion and that in putting God first it means we have to have that relationship. But to have the relationship with God means we need to communicate to him. Talk to him. Daily. Often we can get caught up in what we consider to be ‘prayer time’ by reading devotionals, praying rosaries, etc but in that time are we setting the moment aside to simply talk to God and listen? “What kind of relationship do you have with someone if you don’t communicate?” the woman said.
It’s not anything I don’t know or haven’t heard before but it is in the reminder that it made me pause for a moment and think about the mornings I’ve been guilty of rushing through my quiet prayer time thinking I’m doing good because at least I’m taking the time to read a devotional. But there have been moments I’ve been so rushed I put off the meditation or journal time because so much is on my ‘to do’ list. Honestly I think it’s one reason why I began this ‘Just Show Up’ project again because I’d been missing out on the type of relationship I have with Him when we are in constant conversation throughout the day. 😉
How do you struggle with making God first in all things? Take a moment now and tell Him about it. 🙂
Blessings
Shannon