In Genesis 22:5, God commanded Abraham to take his only son--Isaac, the child of promise-- into the desert and sacrifice him as an act of worship.
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. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you, (Genesis 22:3-5)
The story records how God supernaturally intervened, revealing that this was a test of Abraham's faith and obedience: "And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me" (Genesis 22:12). All of the promises of God rested in Isaac, yet Abraham was willing to sacrifice him. He knew that the One who gave the vision was greater than the vision itself and, if necessary, He could raise Isaac from the dead to make it come to pass. Abraham referred to this as an act of worship, saying "I and the lad will go yonder and worship." There, on the lonely desert mountain, Abraham rose to a new level of worship. By his willingness to sacrifice his only son, he confirmed that God was more important to him than anything or anyone.
In the desert, you will come to know God in a new way as you worship Him alone in the solitude. There, in the midst of the desert of your difficulties, build an altar of praise to the Lord. Offer upon it everything--every talent, every dream, every vision, all that you treasure.
Abraham said, "I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you." Abraham was willing to offer all upon the altar, but he fully expected to return with his son--"we will come again to you." Actually, Abraham not only returned with his son but with new promises of multiplication and blessing from God:
And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shores. (Genesis 22:15-17)
On a lonely wilderness mountain, Abraham rose to a new level of worship. Many of David's psalms were written in the wilderness as he rose to a new level of worship while in exile fleeing from King Saul. The Apostle John was worshipping on the barren, deserted Island of Patmos when he received the revelation of the end-times.
You can complain and murmur, or you can worship your way through your wilderness. The choice is yours.
PRAYER:
My FATHER, My God, this year let my life reflect the blessing of the Lord, I shall not be static, I decree PROGRESS, FAVOR, HONOR, AND INFLUENCE are my portion. My life is SALTED, My speech is SALTED, My Home and Business are SALTED in the name of Jesus.
Comments