Heart Check

I finally picked up the bible again to day and I found myself in Genesis 20-22. This is the story of how God tested Abraham by asking him to perform the ultimate sacrifice. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son; a son he had waited decades for; a son which God had promised would bring Abraham great blessings. Now, I'm not sure what thoughts were going through Abraham's mind at the time, but I sure know the thoughts that would have been going through mine, had I been in the same situation. "Are you kidding me, God?!" would have been one of many. Once Abraham proved his obedience to God, his son was spared. Not only was Abraham's son spared, Abraham was promised great blessings as a reward for his obedience. This is an incredible story to me. Despite the obvious parallels to how God sacrificed His only son on Calvary to atone for all of our sins, this story is amazing. How many times have I questioned God in the midst of a trial? How many times have I cried out to God for help and then disobeyed His instruction? As a result, how many blessings have I bypassed? How many times have I denied God the opportunity to show me His absolute glory and splendor? Today, while reading this story, God reminded me of a very important question I often hear believers and non believers ask. "If God already knows our hearts, what is the purpose of testing us? Why make us go through all that pain and suffering?" Well folks, do we know our own hearts? Until a trial or test comes our way, do we really know how we will respond? Could it be that trials and tests are a way God reveals to us the true nature of our hearts? What if failures are a way we can be enlightened and reminded where we still need work? In the same light, what if as a reward for our obedience we are allowed to see more of God's true nature and get a little pat on the back? I've come to realize that we, as God's children have far more knowledge to gain from our trials than God does. Moving forward, I hope, as trials come my way, I can remember this lesson. I hope I am more likely to trust and obey God instead of jumping to my own conclusions. I learn far greater things, and experience many more blessings when I allow God to write my story instead of snatching up the pen and writing my own endings.