Abraham and God's Plan

As we read through the Bible this year, I plan to share a few stories that really stand out to me.  The first one is in Genesis and it's the story of Abraham.

In Gen 12:1-3, we see that God has chosen to further His glory around the world through Abraham and his descendants.  God said that Abraham's descendants would be as numerous as the dust of the earth (13:16) and the stars in the heavens (15:5).

Sounds exciting!  Except for one minor problem...Abraham didn't even have one child...and he was 100 years old (17:17).

But God works His plan regardless of our understanding of it.

Abraham and Sarah had a baby boy and they named him Isaac (21:3).  Now, through this miracle of birth, it seemed like God could fulfill His promise and make Abraham's descendants numerous through Isaac.

Now the plan makes sense!  Until Genesis 22.  Here it says that God tested Abraham and He asked him to offer Issac as a sacrifice to God.  This would make absolutely no sense to Abraham who believed Issac was the plan for the many descendants.

But, Abraham followed God's request and prepared Isaac as a sacrifice.  When God saw that Abraham was going to follow through, God stopped him and said "for now I know that you fear God" (22:12).

God works His plan regardless of our understanding of it.

I love this story.  So many times in life things happen that we just can't explain.  But, we need to continue seeking God's will and God's direction for our lives.  He is working His plan through us whether we fully understand it or not.