You see it every summer. At a swimming pool anywhere in America. There are very young kids wanting to get in it but they are not sure about it. It looks scary and deep. They know they can’t swim. But then something incredible happens that changes their fear. Dad gets in the pool.
It doesn’t matter whether he is in the shallow, middle or deep end, those kids see dad. He holds out his arms and they jump in, unafraid of what lies in front of them. They crawl out of the pool, run to the spot where dad is and jump in again.
As people of God who believe that God is real, we should be doing more of this in our life. There’s a story that really spells this out for us in Genesis 22. Abraham, the father of the Israelites, is old. So old, we’d have already taken the car keys away from him. God has continually told him the world (let that sink in…THE WORLD) is going to be blessed through him and his child. The only problem is two-fold: he’s very old and there is still no child…not one kiddo. But finally, Abraham has a son when he’s, get this, a hundred years old!
You have to believe Abraham and Isaac loved being together. So many memories and fun times in the pool. But then God ask the unthinkable. God tells Abraham that he wants him to sacrifice this son Isaac to him. God wants to know how much Abraham loves God.
Now what kind of a God would ask a dad to sacrifice his only son?! But, Abraham knows God and understands everything he has and is has come from God. So, I would imagine with very heavy feet, Abraham and Isaac set out for Mt. Moriah, the mountain of God, to worship.
At the base of the mountain, Abraham tells his servants they don’t need to go with them. Both he and Isaac will both go to worship and both he and Isaac will come right back. Interesting. Abraham knows God’s requirement yet says with the faith of a kid jumping into the arms of a dad, “We will be back.” He says the pronoun, “we”. Abraham didn’t know how but trusted God to provide whatever was needed to fulfill the promise God had made way back in Genesis 12.
So, on the way up, Isaac asks where the ram is for the offering. Abraham replies, “God will provide.” And God does provide. After the altar has been built, the flame lit, Isaac tied up and the knife raised above Abraham’s head, the Angel of the Lord says, “WAIT!” God now knows Abraham trusts God to provide. He loves God more than his own son.
It’s a great reminder for each of us this holiday season. Each of us will be missing someone at the dinner table. Each will experience a loss. Each of us will hope for a different outcome in a relationship. Each of us will pray for a stronger marriage. Each of us will hope to make ends meet financially. Each will plead for a prodigal to come home. We all are trudging up the mountain.
And this story in Genesis 22 is a foreshadowing of the greatest story of all time. Thousands of years later, God will send his only son, Jesus, who will eventually die for all of us. God will give us his only son in order to gain back all his children.
What we each must verbalize and live out is that we serve a God who will provide. He is the keeper of promises and giver of life. He will provide the proverbial ram in the bush. So, this holiday, lean into the only one whose arms you can jump. The only one who can catch you while you fall. The only one who truly loves you for who you are. Blessings on your journey.