As we grow up in the school of faith, the tests get harder. It was like that for Abraham. He had no Bible, Old or New Testament, no supportive group of faithful people around him. Perhaps God only spoke to him seven times over many years. In that time, Abraham got some things badly wrong, but he still trusted the Creator God and was willing to forsake the comfort of a settled life to find God's reward. The core of the Lord's promises was that the patriarch would have a son, born to Sarah, who would become a great nation (Genesis 17:21).

Eventually after a variety of wrong choices by Abraham, the promised son was born. Abraham was 100 years old. He was loved and cherished, but although Abraham still wanted God to bless Ishmael (Genesis 17:18) (born to Hagar, Sarah's servant at Sarah's suggestion), God said that Isaac was the answer to His original promise (Genesis 17:19). The new 'family of God' would be formed from Isaac's offspring. But then, when Isaac was a teenager, God told Abraham to sacrifice the boy.

That was such a test of faith. But Abraham set out to offer the sacrifice of his own son, on the hill called Moriah, later known as Mount Zion – the Temple Mount of today. In the event, God stopped him as he was about to plunge the knife into Isaac; instead God pointed out a ram, caught in branches nearby, and it became the substitute sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-13). The parallels are obvious to us in hindsight; it is a very helpful picture of God offering His own Son. But at the time, all Abraham knew was that he was told to destroy the fulfilment of everything his life had been about. But he did not argue, or set out to disobey. He still trusted God, believing that God could bring his son back from the dead.

That sort of test proves how much we trust God. To be told to sacrifice ambition, status, money, family or reputation is a very big test (Mark 10:29-31). But if God calls we must obey, or be found faithless. Although it may seem as though God is working against Himself by such an instruction, He is testing us to see what we are made of. Can He trust us to continue working with Him? He does not seek our abilities, but our availability to willingly do the impossible with nothing except His grace; or to sacrifice whatever we think is God's instrument for blessing. When the test comes to you now, remember that the Lord knows exactly what He is doing (1 Peter 1:6-7). Just obey, and trust Him for the future. Whenever these tests come, they are defining moments. Don’t fail the test (Luke 14:26-27).