Dead In My Tracks.
There were times that I was stuck. I hadn’t a clue what to do next. I had reached a certain point in a job, a church, a friendship, and everything had come undone. Things fell apart. And I didn’t know what to do next. I believed that I had carried everything out properly. I believed that I had tried my best. But things just ground to a halt and I didn’t know what to do next. And the age old question always arose – What do you do when you don’t know what to do next?
When we lose a job, then we start to look around for another job. When a relationship ends then we rebuild our lives and adjust everything to suit. But, when it comes to our church life, our testimony and our relationship with God – What do we do when it all grinds to a halt? How do we rebuild that?
I believe that this was the same quandary that Abraham had when God told him to sacrifice his son Isaac in Genesis 22 v1-19. And if I didn’t already know the final outcome of the story the only question I could ask Abraham is “Ok Abraham. What are you going to do next?”
The text is all very methodical and robotic about the account. And nothing is said about how Abraham was feeling during the 3 day journey to Mount Moriah. But surely he must have had some doubts, questions and queries along the way. I’m thinking that he was in a desperate state of confusion while trying to rationalise God’s instructions regarding Isaac and his own love for his son.
But Abraham must have had a trust in God that was beyond our own understanding. He must have believed that somehow, or in some way, God would not allow the sacrifice to proceed. Consider his comment to his servants before he went to Moriah…
Genesis Ch22 (5) He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”
God told Abraham to prepare an altar, build a fire and sacrifice his only son. Here we have an altar and we have a burnt offering being called for, even before God gave us His laws in the Books of Exodus and Leviticus. And we have Abraham being told to prepare a human sacrifice even though God’s law expressly forbade human sacrifice in the later books of the law…
Deuteronomy Ch18 (10) “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire…”
So, it has now become evident that God’s laws and ways are being lived out through the patriarchs long before they were made into laws at Mount Sinai.
But back to my original question - What do you do when you don’t know what to do next?
The answer is – We wait. God has given us these pauses in our life for a reason. To take time out, to breath, and to rest.
As for the dilemma that Abraham found himself in. His faith has already been honed through years of living with God. Abraham had already left his father and homeland far to the east in Ur of the Chaldees, which modern scholars believe to be in modern day Iraq (Genesis Ch12 v1-9). Abraham interceded with God for the life of his nephew, Lot. And also for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis Ch13-14). He had already seen his wife Sarah give birth to a son in her old age (Genesis Ch21 (1-7).
Abraham even met God face to face when He appeared close to the forest of Mamre…
Genesis Ch18 (1) The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. (2) Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
So Abraham was already very familiar with God’s ways. I can only think that this would have reassured him as he carried out these confusing commands from Jehovah.
However, as Pastor Alistair Begg from Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio said in one of his sermons “…God is not the author of unfinished business…”. Everything that God does, and commands us to do, is just another step along our journey. Because Abraham knew that God was in control…
Hebrews Ch11 (8) By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
And Abraham had a reassurance that God was in complete control. Remember the words of Jesus as recorded in John’s Gospel. Abraham knew that God had a better plan…
Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56).
Patience and trust is something that can only be learned over time. Too often we pray “God, please teach me to be patient. But please, hurry up”. It is God who gives the opportunities and the increase. We just have to trust in Him. Even when we can’t see any other way out of the scenario.
Do we have something in our lives that concerns us deeply? That grieves us and occupies our deepest thoughts? We must learn to be patient and to commit it to God. We must trust God, just as Abraham knew that he and Isaac would both be coming down the mountain again.
So, I believe that we must all learn again to just sit and pray. We must all learn once again to breathe slowly in God’s presence. And, if we can find the space in between all of our grief and fear, we should learn to praise God again, and accept that He is still on the throne.
You makes all things beautiful in Your time
Lord, please show me every day
As You're teaching me Your way
That You do just what You say…
In Your time.
By Diane Ball.
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