Above any other gauge used to test the quality of anything with measurable properties, God’s standard for testing our faith is way beyond comparison. When God tests our faith He may bluntly have us face the blank side of the wall without any clue on what’s waiting for us on the other side. His ways of putting our faith to the test are not within the limited boundaries of mankind’s comprehension.

Within man’s understanding, God’s sovereign ways may seem to be unreasonable and perhaps, sometimes felt to be unjustifiable. For what then is meant for Him to be the God of the universe, the Creator of heaven and earth, the King of kings if He makes no difference from the ways of men? Who are we to question His ways?

Responding to God’s Test of Faith

As believers and faithful followers of Jesus, we face different levels of intensity in the testing of our faith. Yours may be different from mine and different from the others. But every test of faith is a chance to show your trust, obedience, and love for God. When God tests your faith, take it as an opportunity for you to achieve a most-deserved promotion in His kingdom.

When God tests your faith, He neither looks after your age nor how long you have been born again. In the life of Abraham, at a biologically elderly age, he too was not spared from what I consider a paramount kind of testing for his faith. In Genesis 22:1-19 (paraphrased here below), Abraham’s faith in God is well described and teaches us how we too should respond when we face our own test of faith.

Abraham’s Faith in God is Sensitive

It was most likely that whenever God calls Abraham, He is into something really big! With his usual readiness to get into service, Abraham reported on duty to His master, “Here I am!” (Genesis 22:1) He presented himself in promptitude as God called his name.

It could be a calling, a request, a command, or an instruction that God has called out your name. We have to be always sensitive to God’s calling no matter our situation, circumstances, or time. He calls you for a purpose — to grace you with His blessings!

Let our response be the same as Abraham’s, “Here I am!” (See also Isaiah 6:8.)

Abraham’s Faith is Submissive

“Take, go and offer Isaac” (Genesis 22:2). To Abraham at that time, God’s vivid instruction could have been similar to the reverberating sound of a gunshot in the air. I can only imagine the ticking of the clock frozen at that very moment. The instruction was perhaps beyond Abraham’s ingenious understanding.

However hard it was to understand, it was with God’s grace, that the instruction never got over his submissiveness to God. Just like how it would be to any father of a beloved son, Abraham surely was pondering with a somewhat disturbed heart. Yet, his quiet response with submissiveness was on top of the situation.

Many among us while claiming to be followers of Jesus, submit indiscriminately to God’s instructions. We rather choose to submit only to that which will not hurt us. We tend to turn our eyes and ears away from anything that could mean giving up our precious possessions, status in life, and our pride. “Anything Lord, tell unto me and I will follow.” (See also Psalm 143:10.)

Abraham’s Faith is Enthusiastic

Without further delay and without wasting any single moment, Abraham rose early morning the very next day. Nobody less than himself prepared the firewood and saddled his donkey for the journey to the offering place, the mountains of Moriah (Genesis 22:3).

What an enthusiastic manner of obeying God’s instruction! It was the same instruction that might have madly made his heart beat faster, that he is enthusiastically obeying that early morning of the very next day! Abraham knows God’s business so well. He knew who gave the orders and who carried them out. He knew that there was no point in lying back on his couch while hoping that God would change His mind.

Whenever God sends us the signal and raises His mighty hand, let us believe in Him and get it done. Never put aside for some other time what God wants you to do this very moment. Get yourself ready the way He wanted it to be and say, “I am ready Lord, let’s go!”

Abraham’s Faith is Endurant

It would have only taken a bit of Abraham’s effort to pull the donkey tack and say “It’s over, let us go back.” Within the three-day journey to the mountains of Moriah (Genesis 22:4), every single second of it could have been an unbearable torment to Abraham. It is a long journey towards the place where he has to lay down his burnt offering, who is no lesser than his beloved son, Isaac.

Throughout the journey, his head must have been spinning with thoughts of how he would eventually make his way back to his wife Sarah without Isaac, their beloved son. Instead of turning back, he obediently endured all the pain and heartaches a father would undoubtedly have felt about what awaited them.

The inevitable is a step closer to every move they make. Albeit the long journey, there is no point of return without carrying on his obedience to the God he believes in and serves.

Many amongst us will turn back, halfway to the place where the Lord is leading us. We can barely endure life’s torment along the rocky road we need to take. But we need to look forward to the glory that’s waiting for us rather than looking back at the torment we have been through. “I will keep pressing forward knowing that the Lord is waiting there at the end.” (See Phil 3:13.)

Abraham’s Faith is Determined

Abraham is so determined to obey what God told him to do that he will take away any obstacle that may cut through his way. Ascending the mountains would have been much easier with the help of his two servants to take the load of the firewood they brought.

Knowing that his servants would surely get in his way and do whatever it took to stop him from offering Isaac, he told them to stay behind (Genesis 22:5). Abraham got rid of the obstacles in carrying out what he had to.

Life is full of distraction, full of obstacles in getting things done the way we were told to. We tend to forget to focus on our goal and get influenced by our surroundings, the people, and the surrounding circumstances. “Where He leads me, I will follow, no turning back.” (See Deuteronomy 5:32 & Luke 9:62.)

Abraham’s Faith is Steadfast

Abraham’s steadfast faith in God gave him the strength to raise the knife and aim to stab Isaac after binding him on the offering altar (Genesis 22:9-10;). I can just imagine the pain he must have felt in his heart as he raised the knife toward his very own beloved son. This he bears, with the strong faith in the One who told him to do as he did.

He believes that God will fulfill His promise that he will be blessed with many nations through Isaac. If so, how can he aim to kill his son, the channel of God’s promise? Abraham believed that no matter what, God would restore Isaac to fulfill His promise! (see Hebrews 11:17-19). He must obey and believe. The rest is up to God.

Our faith in God must be unconditionally steadfast. We cannot say “I believe” with a single spot of doubt in our hearts, for this is foolish in God’s eyes. When God says so, He means so. “Lord, help me sustain my faith” (see also Isaiah 41:10).

What about Your Faith in God?

When God tests your faith, do you spend more time focusing on complaining rather than obeying? Do you keep your mind busy thinking about what God needs to do for you rather than thinking about what you can do for Him? Just like Abraham, we too need to raise the knife in our own test of faith and aim steadfastly without doubting that God is watching on how we trust Him.

God saw how faithful Abraham was up to this point where he needed to give up his beloved son in obedience to God’s instruction of test. God, through his angel, stopped Abraham from killing Isaac and provided a substitute offering utilizing a ram (Genesis 22:11-14). With an enduring display of faith, God has affirmed His promise to Abraham to bless him with many nations through his son Isaac (Genesis 22:15-19).

Abraham clearly showed his obedience with faith. Why did God put Abraham to the test when he had already proven to be a faithful servant of God? Only God knows the real answer to this. Based on the scriptures, we can only suppose that God tested him to know if He was still sovereign in Abraham’s life notwithstanding Abraham’s immeasurable love for his son, Isaac.

Abraham did not only obey but he firmly believed in the promises of God. Did God bless Abraham because of his obedience? God fulfilled His promise that Abraham and his offspring will be heirs of the world because of his righteousness that comes from faith (see Romans 4:13-14).

Recommended Resource: 

The Testing of God’s Sons – eBook By Gregory S. SmithThere exists a general lack of biblical understanding for the idea of “testing” that emerges in the Old Testament as a significant theological theme. The faithful from both Old Testament and New Testament times are tested for their faith. This kind of experience often involves enduring hardship and difficult times. While often confused with the biblical idea of “temptation,” the biblical idea of testing stems from a metallurgical background and carries a unique covenantal function. Testing will be at the center of how God responds to the rebellion of his people and reveals God’s primary concern for the faith of his saints. The Testing of God’s Sons focuses on the language of testing and explores the semantic range for the idea of testing that draws from both the biblical context, as well as the world of the ancient Near East. This study then focuses on the often-overlooked Joseph narrative and its unique contribution to the theology of testing that is presented by the rest of the Pentateuch. Finally, the remainder of the biblical texts are investigated on the theme of testing. The last chapter shows the fact that God tests His sons – Adam, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Job, Israel, and even Christ. It is through the experience of God’s tested sons that believers are invited to more fully and deeply understand their own experience of testing.