Time Out (by Jerry Schmoyer)

Trusting God with your life is quite hard, but trusting another human being with your life is even more difficult. Isaac faced such a challenge as a teenager. I can’t imagine what he thought when his father informed him that he was to be the sacrifice, that he was to lay on the altar and let his father kill him with his knife, trusting that God would then bring him back to life or something as the promised son. Now that is a major test of faith!

It can be challenging trust an authority figure in our lives: a boss, pastor, husband or parent. But for a teenager to so totally trust his aged father that he will voluntarily (and Isaac was too old and strong for old man Abraham to force) let him violently kill him is a great statement of belief and loyalty. Of course it was hard for Abraham, too, to give back to God that which was the most precious thing in life for him. The interesting thing is that it didn’t turn out as Abraham expected (very few things in life do turn out as we expect). God provided in a way Isaac never imagined – a substitute was provided.

Sometimes God stretches our faith in a major way, like He did with Abraham and Isaac. He never gives us more that we can handle, though. He is always with us and always faithful to us. We only get a few of those ultra major trust tests in life, and usually they spring upon us unaware. Be ready, though, to trust God when they do come.

Scripture
Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”

1 Peter 1:7, “These have come so that your faith — of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

Romans 8:24-25, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.”

Reflect

• Think of some you have trusted in the past who have let you down. Have you forgiven them?
• Is there any time someone has trusted you and you let them down? Confess that and apologize to them if you haven’t done so.
• Is there anyone you now are having a hard time trusting? Remember your faith is first and foremost in God Who is sovereign over all things. Trust Him.

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Jerry Schmoyer has been a minister in Pennsylvania for over 25 years and has worked with teenagers for 14 years, ever since I became one myself. He authors the weekly Time Out series here at Life in Student Ministry in hopes to spiritually refresh your soul as you continually pour so much of yourself into students. God bless!

Posted on October 26, 2008