When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The LORD will provide.” (Genesis 22:9-14 ESV).
I like the anonymous quote in the attached picture. It seems to describe our journey through life quite well: And then there are days of being lost in the woods, not knowing the fate, but just being a wanderer – that’s life. The only difference I would make too it would be the phrase of “not knowing the fate.” As believers we know our fate… and it is very good. In fact, it is an eternity of good.
Many years ago, when we lived in Huntsville, Texas, our home sat next to the border of the Davy Crockett National Forest. It contains more than 160,000 acres of East Texas woodlands, streams, recreation areas, and wildlife habitat. Located in Houston and Trinity Counties, the forest is centrally located within the Neches and Trinity River basins. Coming home one afternoon I saw a deer just on the other side of the fence. Kyle was just four years old and loved the outdoors as much as I do. We decided to see how close we could get to the doe. Quietly we began to sneak through the woods, each time pushing the deer a little deeper into the thick woods of the National Forest. As I noticed the sun beginning to set, I told him we’d better head home. The problem, however, was that I had gotten myself lost in the woods! I did know the general area and that a road ran through the forest to the north. So, I put Kyle on my shoulders and began to walk with the sun on my left side. Finally, we reached the road and Kyle said, “How are we going to get home?” Well, I said, “We’ll catch a ride.” Sticking my thumb out with Kyle on my shoulders, it wasn’t long until someone stopped and gave us a ride. We were a long way from home by the roadway, but we arrived safe and sound.
Abraham must have felt a bit like I did. Our reading describes him not knowing why he was doing what he was doing other than God told him. The story ends well, and Abraham learned a great lesson: “the Lord will provide.” In our journey through life, we rarely know where the next step will take us. Ultimately, we know the destination, but the route is as unique as we are. The key to peace of mind is trusting that the Lord does indeed provide. Make that your commitment for this New Year! You are not wandering without purpose!