A long obedience is filled with tests!

A long obedience is “living” faith. Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. A living faith is to demonstrate the confidence and assurance in every step of every moment of everyday. It is to be confident and walk with assurance that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. It is to know with full confidence that there is a God and that confidence comes from the Assurance that God is taking care of me … and you.

Abraham was a man of great confidence and assurance in God. He lived over 500 years prior to Moses. He was a man the God used to start the redemption bloodline that would eventually be Jesus. God promises Abraham that he would be a father to a great nation…so he waited, and waited, and waited…Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. He was living a long obedience in the same direction.  Then…some time later God tested Abraham…

“Some time later”, God tested Abraham… this is an interesting development. This was a man that had proven repeatedly that he trusted God. Genesis 12 God Calls Abram and he leaves his home and life. Then is tested in Egypt and he fails the test by lying about his wife. In Genesis 13 Abram is test again with his relationship with his nephew, Lot. Abram rescues Lot in chapter 14 from evil kings. In Genesis 15, God renews his commitment to Abram and tells him that Abram descendants will be as numerous as the stars and the number of grains of sand. In 16, Sarai is tired of hearing about becoming a mother…she is probably over 80 years old at this point. So, she tempts Abram to with he mistress and Abram becomes a father with another woman. This is does not bring good results. Genesis 17 records that Abram is 99 years old and God comes to him and again renews his commitment to Abram and establishes the sign of circumcision. At 99, he and all the males in his household under go the procedure and God changes his name from Abram to Abraham. Abraham is challenged in Genesis 18 with the evil in Sodom and Gomorrah and God rescues his nephew. In Genesis 20, Abraham hands his wife off to another and refers to her as his sister. There is a great trial of morality and God restores order. In chapter 21, Isaac is finally born and then there is a great tension between the new mom and her mistress. So, Abraham is forced to take Hagar and Ishmael outside the community and drop them off. He is forced leave a child behind.

Genesis 22 finds Abraham at probably 110 years old, finally living the fatherhood he has dreamed over for decades and … “God tested Abraham…” Abraham responds with , “Here I am!”  Abraham understands that a long obedience in the same direction is to live as if everyday is a test.

1 Peter 1:7, “These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.”

So, a long obedience is a life filled with tests… the problem is that we fight the tests of life. They end up being like that old Chinese finger trap. The more we fight the tests that come our way, the harder it is for us to get out of the tangled webs in our lives. The only means to pass the test is to trust God and answer His call.

Are you living a life that embraces the long obedience in the same direction even when the tests come? You know I love ya, Don