And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. (Genesis 22: 1-3)
{In Part 1 I discussed Abraham and his obedience to God, when told to make his son Isaac a burnt offering unto the Lord. In the end it what we do to ensure God first, forsaking all others, that He wants.}
There are times in our lives, in our walks with the Lord, that we are asked to do something without reservation. We are simply directed by God to go into the wilderness, minister, or even walk away from something, without questioning Him or his motives. He recently did this in my life: He spoke gently to me one morning, showed me the task at hand and without questioning Him further, I obeyed. It was not easy but His grace and mercy prevailed. I was not allowed to offer up much explanation to the person involved, other than it being His will at present.
I didn’t realize what he was doing at first, but God was requiring that I sacrifice my relationship with a person who means much to me, for Him. I thought it was for my good (which it certainly was) and His, so he could heal some hurts, thus strengthening His vessel. Apparently, something had happened to me on a spiritual level I was unaware of. My strong gift of discernment was weakened. This is not a good thing! Apparently, the only way for Him to rebuild my resolve was for me to limit communication with this person, for a season.
Doing this for my Lord was a no brainer; my dedication to what He wants from me and how He chooses to use me, I put on an altar daily; my obedience isn’t a question. But I didn’t realize it might mean truly sacrificing this relationship (read: walking away completely if that was where I was led). After contemplating much about the relationship, and recognizing I had participated in sin due to it’s somewhat unhealthy nature, I was quite devastated. I addressed my Lord, in repentance, humbly stating ‘your will be done’.
It was over the course of the past couple of weeks, when I was starting to feel released from this holding pattern, that the phrase human sacrifice kept presenting itself. I felt I needed to stay separated a while longer, yet the enemy was luring me back. I was in a vulnerable place, yet resistant. It felt as though a spiritual tug o’war was taking place within and it was exhausting. During the course of this past week the Lord began ministering to my heart and spirit, using the story of Abraham and Isaac to finally help me understand completely. Because just like Abraham, I had a promise from God…and probably like Abraham, I didn’t understand why God would ask me to sacrifice this particular thing, due to that promise – yet, I obeyed.
I didn’t fully grasp everything until the past 48 hours, as He flooded me with this bubbling over of knowledge and wisdom. (Normally such an urging means it is time to share.) You see, this particular relationship is one that I will carry forth with me for my remaining years, regardless of what happens, simply for the way God used me in this person’s life and vice versus. God has bound us in such a deep way that if they are not present, a piece of my heart seems to be missing.
God has used this relationship to grow, stretch and heal places within me I didn’t realize were still damaged. It has been challenging to say the least, yet, walking away (up to this point) has never been an option. However, as with any other person or situation in my life, I now understand this: If I have to choose between a solid relationship with my Father and my Lord, if I am led to sacrifice this relationship, I will do so. I will never stop praying for or loving them, but I will not be moved!
Thank you Lord for your sacrifice on the cross; for enduring, despite your human desire to be delivered of the cup you were to drink, knowing and not being able to bear the thought of being separated from your Father for even a second, upon taking our sins upon your soul. Forgive us our sin, forgive us for giving you no choice, but THANK YOU for giving your life, for ours. We are not worthy!
Psalm 32 came to mind to close this post out.
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.
5 I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah.
6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.
7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.
8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.
11 Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.