Daily Devotionals for Women - Today's Encouraging Word from Scripture

HOW FAITH TALKS

On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar. Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” Genesis 22:5-6

I must know my God well to have the kind of faith necessary in times of testing. There was at least one thing Abraham knew going into this experience. His God was against human sacrifice. That’s a critical piece to this story. God had no intention of allowing Abraham to go through with this sacrifice of Isaac. Did Abraham know that? Down deep, I believe he did. What he spoke to his young servants confirms it.

In Hebrew, the language is much stronger than in English. Here is what he told the servants. “We are determined to go, we are determined to worship, we are determined to return.” Abraham predicted the return of, not only himself, but his son as well.

This is how faith talks. I know my God. I know what He has promised to do. I see my circumstances with eyes of faith and predict an outcome as if it’s already happened. But most of the time, the language of my prayers doesn’t match the language of my everyday conversations. I am a dual fountain.

In prayer, I tell God that He is a good and faithful Father. I proclaim Him powerful enough to move mountains. But off my knees, my speech reveals faithlessness. “I don’t know what God is doing. I just know things are going to turn out badly. Things have always been this way and God isn’t going to change them now!”

To tell God that He is good after He has been good ~ takes no faith at all. To have faith the likes of Abraham, I stare into the face of impossible odds where there are no visible options and no possible ways of escape. Then, I declare that God will make a way. This is the kind of faith that leaves a legacy the likes of what happened on Mt. Moriah.

I want to know You so well that faith language is no longer laborsome to create. It will just flow out of me like water. Amen

Journal Question: Consider the most hopeless thing facing you today. Write two short paragraphs. The first will be your human reaction; no holds barred on the expression of your doubts and fears. The second will be a faith statement; your assurance that God will intervene and His character will be true to His covenant relationship with you.

For more from Christine Wyrtzen and Jaime Wyrtzen Lauze, please visit www.daughtersofpromise.org