God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!”
and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering
on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
Genesis 22:1-2
God tested Abraham, not to trip him and watch him fall, but
to deepen his capacity to obey God and thus to develop his character. Just as
fire refines ore to extract precious metals, God refines us through difficult
circumstances. When we are tested, we can complain, or we can try to see how
God is stretching us to develop our character.
Our difficulty is not that we don't know God's will. Our
discomfort comes from the fact that we do know His will, but we do not want to
do it!
When God first spoke to Abraham, His commands were
straightforward. “Go to a land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). Then God led
Abraham through a number of tests over the years. Abraham learned patience as
he waited on God's promise of a son, which took twenty-five years to be
fulfilled. Abraham learned to trust God through battles with kings and through
the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The pinnacle of Abraham's walk of faith
was when God asked him to sacrifice the one thing that meant more to him than
anything else. Abraham's previous obedience indicated that he would have
quickly and decisively sacrificed anything else God asked of him, but was he
prepared for this? God did not ask Abraham to make such a significant sacrifice
at the beginning of their relationship. This came more than thirty years after
Abraham began walking with God.
As the Father progressively reveals His ways to you in your
Christian pilgrimage, you, like Abraham, will develop a deeper level of trust
in Him. When you first became a Christian, your Master's instructions were
probably fundamental, such as being baptized or changing your lifestyle. But as
you learn to trust Him more deeply, He will develop your character to match
bigger tests, and with the greater test will come a greater love for God and
knowledge of His ways. Are you ready for God's next revelation?