When Life Gets
Tough, Simply Do This
LEONARD DAVIDSON
A strong-weathered hand tightly gripped the
razor sharp knife raised over the body of a young boy lying loosely bound on a
crude, makeshift altar.
An altar covered with dry wood that the same
boy had carried to the top of this mountain.
The wood was soon to be set aflame.
This was not just any young boy—this was the
son of the century-old patriarch clutching the knife - his son.
It was his only son. It was the son of promise. It was the
son that the father's God—Jehovah—now demanded as a sacrifice simply to test
his loyalty.
Nearby was the vessel containing fire with
which he would complete the slaughter and burnt offering. It would be a
heartbreaking act of total and complete obedience.
The son's wide-open eyes and quivering lips
were more than his father could bear. The old man closed his eyes—brimming with
salty grief—and raised the instrument of death higher.
Muscles tensed as he began the downward
thrust into the heart of the son he loved more than anything.
More than anything, except his God.
"But the angel of the Lord called to him
out of heaven and said, 'Abraham, Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' Then He
said, 'Do not lay your hands on the boy or do anything to him, because now I
know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your only son from
Me'" (Genesis 22:11-12, MEV).
Abraham turned and looked. There was a ram
caught in the thicket. A substitution—an offering to be sacrificed in the place
of the son he loved.
The great apostle Paul tells us in Romans 4 that righteousness was counted to Abraham. What's interesting is the
"why."
It was because "Abraham
believed God."
Not believed in God
... or about God. ... He simply believed God—and that what God had promised, God was
able to complete.
Isaac was the child of those very promises,
and Abraham believed in his heart of hearts that God was perfectly capable of
raising the boy from the dead if necessary (see
Hebrews 11:17-19).
Abraham's responsibility was to trust—to
believe God.
Life has a way of making believing God very difficult to do.
When things are not going the way we think
they are supposed to—when God is asking us to walk through the valley of deep
darkness—it is easy to believe in God, but much more difficult to simply believe God.
During the challenges of life, when believing
God seems arduous and nearly impossible, meditate on some of these promises.
When the future is bleak and unsure: "For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord,
plans for peace and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope" (Jeremiah
29:11).
Believe God ...
When you are exhausted from the pressures of
life: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavily
burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me.
For I am meek and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29).
Believe God ...
When making ends meet physically ...
emotionally ... financially ... seems difficult at best: "But my God shall supply your every need
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians
4:19).
Believe God ...
When God's never-ending love for you seems
distant and unattainable: "For
I am persuaded that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities
nor powers, neither things present nor things to come, neither height nor
depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love
of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans
8:38-39).
Believe God ...
When fear and anxiety consume your world, and
the lack of peace creates a vacuum in your heart and life: "I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In
the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the
world" (John 16:33).
Believe God ...
As He was with Abraham ... so He will be with
you.
Believe ... God.
Prayer Power
Meditate on scriptures that emphasize believing
God and note the outcome in the lives and circumstances of those who placed
their trust in Him.
Begin to declare God's promises over your life
and thank Him that He is faithful to watch over His Word to perform it.
Continue to pray that He send more laborers into
His harvest fields.
Pray that God's people would unite in prayer and
purpose for worldwide revival.
Remember to lift up our nation, its leaders, and
our allies. Pray that Israel would fulfill God's purposes in this hour.
And remember our
military and families as they serve the nation. (Romans 8:38-39; Philippians 4:19; John
16:33)
Would you want to have a deeper relationship with God?
God has made it
possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own
life by receiving His Son, Jesus
Christ, and have eternal life.
Say the following
prayer:
“Father God, I confess I am
a sinner and my sins have separated me from You.
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Not everyone is called "a friend
of God."
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Is there anything too HARD for the LORD?
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Is there anything too HARD for the LORD?.
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I Choose to
Believe in Miracles
“Sacrifice”
Bob Fitts
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGh4slK8L2EBIBLEVIDEOS
lyrics
Oh this must be
the hardest hill I've ever climbed
For I must sacrifice you promised son of mine
And so I go to worship with you by my side
And trust a sacrifice He will provide
Chorus:
And though I cherish you, I must now offer you
To him who is the giver of all good things
And though I cherish you, I will not offer you
For surely He could raise you up again
(second time) For surely He will raise you up again
Here on this alter Father I lay all my dreams
And offer back to you this child you've given me
Oh son you must believe He's called us to obey
And by His love He'll make a better way
O Abraham, O Abraham
Now that I know you fear my name
Withhold your hand
O Abraham, O faithful man
You're only son, He's not the one
Behold the ram, Behold the Lamb
It must have been the hardest thing He's ever done
When God the Father sacrificed his only son
The one that He most cherished gave His life away
And by His love He made a better way
Chorus 2
And so I cherish you, And so I honor you
For truly you're the giver of all good things
And so I cherish you, and so I honor you
Your sacrifice is now the king of kings
Chorus 3:
Jehovah Jireh, he has provided
The sacrifice of love no man could ever pay
And what He requires of you and me
Even the hardest thing
Your blood, O Christ, your sacrifice gives me strength to obey.
For I must sacrifice you promised son of mine
And so I go to worship with you by my side
And trust a sacrifice He will provide
Chorus:
And though I cherish you, I must now offer you
To him who is the giver of all good things
And though I cherish you, I will not offer you
For surely He could raise you up again
(second time) For surely He will raise you up again
Here on this alter Father I lay all my dreams
And offer back to you this child you've given me
Oh son you must believe He's called us to obey
And by His love He'll make a better way
O Abraham, O Abraham
Now that I know you fear my name
Withhold your hand
O Abraham, O faithful man
You're only son, He's not the one
Behold the ram, Behold the Lamb
It must have been the hardest thing He's ever done
When God the Father sacrificed his only son
The one that He most cherished gave His life away
And by His love He made a better way
Chorus 2
And so I cherish you, And so I honor you
For truly you're the giver of all good things
And so I cherish you, and so I honor you
Your sacrifice is now the king of kings
Chorus 3:
Jehovah Jireh, he has provided
The sacrifice of love no man could ever pay
And what He requires of you and me
Even the hardest thing
Your blood, O Christ, your sacrifice gives me strength to obey.
s-tough-simply-do-this
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