So this morning I've been thinking about faith...the kinda that compels you to to lay down everything you have/are/want to follow the Lord. The kind that Noah had when he built his huge boat on dry land and didn't know why. The kind Moses had when he lead his entire nation into the red sea. Basically, the kind Hebrews 11 talks about.
But specifically this morning, I've been thinking about the story of Abraham when God called him to sacrifice Isaac. Now, I've heard this story before many times. And though I don't have children of my own, and therefore probably can't fully understand what that must have felt like, I am still always moved by his act of faith.
However, until this morning I had never thought about it from Isaac's point of view. I guess I always pictured him as this clueless little kid climbing on the alter saying "okay daddy, now what?" (not that I'm trying to make light of the story - but it's just what I've always assumed). I realize though, Isaac wasn't a little kid. He was probably in his early teens and therefore much stronger than his elderly father. He knew exactly what was going on. He knew what an alter was. He could have resisted, but he didn't.
He obeyed his father and climbed on top of that alter. He let Abraham bind him to the wood. He let him raise the knife to kill him...and never fought back.
He knew he was about to die - to be killed by his own father - and he trusted God.
Talk about faith.
The kind of faith that literally compels you to lay your life before the Lord as an offering.
That's the kind of faith I want to have.