A Father's Faith

"Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, 'My father!' And he said, 'Here I am, my son.' And he said, 'Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?' Abraham said, 'God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.' So the two of them walked on together." -Genesis 22.6-8

Father and son have come to Mt. Moriah, and after loading up they begin their trek to the top. The son knows they are there to offer a sacrifice. They have wood, fire, and the knife, but something is missing, the lamb to offer. So the son asks his father, "Where is the lamb?" His father knows what God has told him, offer your son. But he also knows that this is the son of promise. This is the son that God has made a covenant to bless the world through. And so the father replies, "God will provide the lamb." And the two continue on together.

We see here the faith of a father. God has made a promise, and then has asked for the fulfillment of that promise to be sacrificed. But he has faith in God that the promise will still be fulfilled, somehow. And we see in the father, the reassurance to his son, that God will provide the lamb.

Father's we don't have all the answers. We don't know what God is up to, or how He is going to work. But our children look to us for comfort and guidance. They look to us for security. It is our job to provide it. It is our job to trust the Father. God's will may come with difficult requests. We may find ourselves, time and again, in difficult situations with very few answers. But it is not our job to have every answer. It is our job to trust God.

Our children will learn that God is dependable and trust worthy from us. They will learn faith and confidence in God from us. What example are you setting? Do you have faith in God to provide, or are you overcome with worry and doubt?

God will provide, have faith and trust Him. Your children are watching you, and they will learn from what they see. As their father, set an example of faith.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor