Mount Moriah was the site of many various Biblical acts, one of the first involving God’s provision of a sacrifice in place of Isaac, Abraham’s son. In Genesis 22, you can read the story about how God told Abraham to do something so heartbreakingly difficult and confusing, to sacrifice his very own son as a burnt offering.
As a Christian, it is still convicting and moving to see how Abraham moved forward in full obedience and faith, even without any knowledge of why He was asked to do so. Thankfully, it was all a test and God intervened to safe Isaac, and spare Abraham that pain. Even more, God then blessed Abraham as a direct result of his obedience.
While in no way comparing God’s request of me to Abraham’s (as they are on completely different scales), I most definitely experienced my own version of this when I signed up for the World Race. After months of wrestling with various scriptures and convictions, there came a very clear moment when God asked what I was willing to sacrifice in order to obey Him. The career and comforts were one thing, but I can honestly say that the hardest part in it all was when God asked me if I was willing to let go of Keith, my boyfriend and the man I planned on marrying.
In that moment, it truly did feel as if God was asking me to sacrifice my own Isaac, of sorts, and the pain of that thought cut deep. I cried for what seemed like weeks as I dwelled on the reality of what could happen if I moved forward with what I felt God was calling me to do.
Not only did it show me just how much Keith means to me, but it also made me very aware of how little faith and value I had been placing on God. I won’t even try to speak for Keith regarding all of the patience, love, sacrifice and obedience that he himself had to press into over this past year. It’s safe to say that he had his own journey of faith to take with God though.
I wish I could say that I confidently and boldly moved forward without hesitation as Abraham did, but that was not the case. I was a wreck at first, allowing my emotions to toss me back and forth as I shifted my focus from God to myself, from His promises and sovereignty to my desires and control. It was one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made and I wrestled through it most of the way….and all of this while the sacrifice was not even guaranteed, just a possibility!
I ultimately did choose to obey God in this situation, thankfully, and it has been so awesome to experience the blessings that have flowed out from that! Just as God delivered Isaac from death, and Abraham from the weight of that action, He also delivered me from having to let go of my best friend, the man that I love, Keith Hallman.
God did not simply allow us to remain a couple, but has used these past few months to grow us individually, and stronger and deeper as a couple. It was around this time last year that God was asking me to make my sacrifices.
How ironic that I now stand on my own Mount Moriah, one year later, having witnessed God’s mercy and deliverance, and now his blessings which I wish to share…Keith and I will be getting married this year!!! I’m so very excited and grateful! It’s been cool to experience God’s provisions firsthand and something I will not soon forget.
Sometimes God truly does require and allow tough sacrifices to occur, but I also believe there are many more times when He just desires for us to fully trust Him, and do so in a tangible way, not only for His sake, but for our own. I did not know it at the time, but I needed to know for myself just how much trust and faith I had in God. This decision allowed me the opportunity to truly discover that.
This whole process has bolstered my faith in so many different ways, but one very clear thing I will take away from the story of Abraham and my own is that God requires faith and obedience, and these require action. He wants to be your top love and priority, which often requires sacrifice, but He also loves to bless obedience and be glorified through those blessings.
