Overwhelming Trust and Sacrifice
written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“He considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead—and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back. ”
The writer of the Hebrews begins this chapter by writing about Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac. Abraham was willing to sacrifice his long-awaited son, Isaac, in response to God’s command (Genesis 22:1-19). As you remember, “an angel of the Lord” called out at the very last minute and stopped Abraham. According to the Hebrews writer, Abraham’s faithful trust in God allowed him to sacrifice Isaac willingly. The Hebrews writer would know God would echo Abraham’s sacrifice by sacrificing his Son, Jesus. The angel would not call out this time, and Jesus was crucified.
Chapter 11 of Hebrews begins with, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Abraham trusted God by his willingness to sacrifice his loved one. Isaac trusted his father, even when his father brandished a knife, and Jesus trusted the Father as they nailed him to the cross. Can there be a more striking example of a “conviction of things not seen?!”
Do we have the faith to trust “the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen?” Could I trust the voice of God and put my daughter’s life at risk? I don’t know. I would have to be sure it was God’s voice, but even then...? Thank goodness I’ve never been tempted in such a horrifying way. God put Godself in a situation that forced the death of the Son, Jesus.
I suppose the story's moral is that “a faith that surpasses all understanding” is necessary. Sometimes, it would be easier to deny God and get on with life. I think of the German Christians who were willing to sacrifice themselves and their families rather than become part of Hitler’s Reich Church in Nazi Germany. One can go back to the Roman Empire and remember the earliest Christians remaining unwilling to deny their faith, even when remaining faithful, was a death sentence for the individual and their family.
Stories like these are humbling. What would we have done in similar situations? Perhaps I might have been willing to sacrifice myself for my faith but sacrifice the rest of my family as well? Today, ask God for the wisdom of perspective. Being willing to sacrifice a portion of our time, income, or lives can only occur with an eternal perspective. What happens in this life is the blink of an eye compared to eternity. May we have the faith to trust God now and forevermore.
