“We have fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”
“God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son.” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.... And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice. —Genesis 22: 7c, 8, 10
As a weekly columnist, I thought it would be easy to write a two-part series on Father’s Day. After all, this was my first FD. Something to say would be easy, right?
Not so.
Even before the month of June arrived, the day swelled because being a father means too much to me. What to say? With this much love? Yikes! Too hard! Yet this passage resonates.
Seven years to become a dad is not nearly as long as Abraham waited, but in this foster to adopt situation, I know a knife can come to our situation. Everything I love with these five foster kids can be cut away.
Yet, like Abraham with Isaac, I keep going. One step. Then another. Then another. And, like Abraham, I don’t know anything about what lies ahead except what this passage makes clear: the LORD provides (verse 14). God got me this far. The blessings of having five kids is beyond measure. God will continue to see me through, even when knifes are nearby, or, worse, become daggers.
God will do the same for you. Keep traveling. Sometimes what is just ahead is too awful to face. Ask Abraham about that. Be sure and also ask Abraham about what it means to put God first for this reason alone: He gave you blessings in the first place.
PRAYER: Lord, testing our faith isn’t as accurate as to say You are strengthening our faith. Help us realize this on the journey. Amen.