By REV. TIMOTHY L. MELTON, PASTOR
(Transcribed by Myra D. Colgate)
Cherokee Pentecostal Holiness Church
Read: Isaiah 46:9-10; Genesis 22:1-19; Genesis 15:4; Hebrews 11:8-19
We’ve found out that Abraham, when he first spoke to God, learned that not every time God speaks or answers us, will we always want to hear them or even be happy with His answers the first time we hear them. We should see the answers are, however, for our own best results which may come if we can fully trust Him, rely on Him.
However, “Father Knows Best” is not just a saying, either. When a person respectfully or even in great need, asks God to “Speak to me, Lord…” we should always be careful to remember how much He loves us and come fully awake to understand He is also our Supernatural Help, our God. His Thoughts, each one of them, are given us with the best answer He has for each one of us. He is the One who is Sovereign, and knows all of our past, present, and good answers concerning our futures. He knows us well.”
The answers may not always be exactly what a person wants to hear, but it’s better to remember He is more like a Parent Who “cares so deeply for the seeking person who also is still growing and getting to know Him. It is never too late to change our thinking or our ways.” He does know us and sees our real futures, too, so it is always good to be hope-filled and perhaps what’s best is to ask for a good supply of His Wisdom, to listen to Him and then heed, accepting and searching for how best to apply His answers to out situations.
“Here’s what He said to Abraham. God said to His friend, “Take your son, your only son, the son whom you love, and offer him to Me as a burnt offering.” The problem for Abraham was that he was an old man now, 100-years-old, when he and his wife Sarah, herself 90 years-old, had birthed Isaac. Isaac was the only son of a Promise. The Promise had been made by God to Abraham and found in Genesis 15:4-6 and He was now telling Abraham, in effect, He wanted the Promise back.
“What an amazing group of events had transpired then, on that day, because Abraham, the Bible says, immediately, when God spoke, saying, “Here, I am. You don’t have to look any further. I’m not hiding from You when You speak. I’m right here.”
God asked His friend, one of the hardest things that he could ever have been asked to do. The Bible says in verse 3, Abraham got up early. He didn’t lay there in the bed, and he didn’t wait on other things to happen. He didn’t try to procrastinate at all. He just got up and said to the young men with him, “Here’s what we’re going to do…”. He grabbed the saddle and the wood, and two helpers, and told them they were all going towards a mountain in a place called Moriah, and that’s what they did, early that day.
Abraham said to our Covenant-keeping God, “If that’s where You’re going to be, then that’s where I’m going to be.” So, he took off in that direction. When they arrived at the place, the Bible says Abraham looked at the young men and said, “You two stay here, and the boy, My Promise, we will have to go to the top and worship. “Whatever God wants and whatever He asks for, I’m going to make sure that He has whatever He has asked for, because it all belongs to Him anyway.”
“When I read in Hebrews 11, I found out Abraham was one of the Fathers of our Faith. What does it mean? When he heard the Promise of the Lord, regardless of what it looked like, he knew His Promise was sure. I’m here to tell you today, if it looks like God has forgotten something, or like it fell through the cracks, His Promises to you are still “Yes and Amen.” They are still as sure as the day He said them. It cannot come back to Him until it has accomplished what He sent it out to do.
