The third testimony comes from the Father of all nations. God called Abraham to leave his homeland and go where the Lord leads. He made a covenant with Abram to bless him with lands and offspring. What did he do? He built an altar to the Lord for worship and for thanksgiving.
After he became rich in land. He became powerful with a small army to rescue his relative from Sodom. Melchizedek, priest of the Most High God, appeared and out of worship and thanksgiving, Abram gave a tenth of everything, offering crops, and animals to him.
There was still one thing he lacked. Abraham prayed for the offspring that God promised for years before. Sarah became impatient and took her handmaiden and gave her to her husband so he could have a son. As you know the story, Hagar delivered Ismael. Instead of being pleased, Sarah became jealous.
When he was 99 years old and Sarah was 90 God showed His mercy to this old couple in answering their prayer years. They quit trusting. They decided God wasn’t going to do what He promised. Ever been there? When you feel like you might as well give up. God in His sovereignty answers in ways that we could not think possible.
But God did answer in His time. Abraham’s thankfulness resulted in obedience. Abraham was asked to do something far more costly than Hannah. God wanted to have him sacrifice his son up on the altar. Abraham, totally believing in a God who could do whatever He wanted, demonstrated his faith by his willingness to put his son on the altar.
There is the difference between dedication and sacrifice. His testimony of thanksgiving is a short one - only three words, but no doubt, those three words are filled with tears of joy and outpouring of his soul. “The Lord Provides.” When he was about to put the knife to Isaac, the angel stopped him and, in the bush, God provided the ram. He provided a promise, that the nation of Israel would come from that son.
We should be in awe, when we realize this story and prophecy pointed to the future sacrifice of God’s beloved Son. God accomplished what He spared from Abraham. God’s only Son was placed on the altar, but there was no angel that stopped the crucifixion that day. God did not spare His own son but gave Him up for us all.
How many times can we can say in our life, “The Lord provides”?
Application: This thanksgiving – How have you seen God answer your prayers this year? Pause and reflect on one “yes” you are living in now. How has God provided for you? What is your response?
Prayer: Lord, as I look and see the many ways you have blessed me (us), help me (us) to respond with trust and obedience as Abraham did, humbly saying, “The Lord Provides”. Amen.
