By Greg Laurie
“‘Don’t lay a hand on the boy!’ the angel said. ‘Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.’”
—Genesis 22:12
The gripping story of Abraham and his beloved son Isaac gives us an unforgettable image of faith and sacrifice. Isaac was the son God promised to Abraham, a symbol of the covenant between Abraham and God. To say that Abraham had waited a long time for a son would be an understatement. When Isaac was born, Abraham was one hundred years old. His wife Sarah was ninety when she gave birth.
Abraham was so delighted by his son that he named him Isaac, which means “laughter.” And laughter is what Isaac brought into the lives of Abraham and Sarah. Years later, the laughter turned into shock and fear when God said to Abraham, “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you” (Genesis 22:2 NLT). There was no greater sacrifice that God could have requested from Abraham. Isaac was the joy of Abraham’s life.
Categories: INSPIRATIONAL DEVOTIONS
Escaping the Dark Room of Discouragement
"Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21:36