He is able?

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, "In Isaac your seed shall be called," concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. – Hebrews 11.17-19

Abraham had a tough test ahead of him. God called him to take his only son, the son he had waited decades for, and told him to take Isaac up into the mountain and sacrifice him on an altar. I can hardly comprehend what it was like to be told what to do something like that. How do you respond to something like that?

I guess it was because Abraham had seen the faithfulness of God and knew that God have proven Himself in delivering a son after all those years, but when God told Abraham to take Isaac and sacrifice him, he does not seem fazed. When Abraham and Isaac left the servant behind to go to the mountain he told the servant ‘mind the donkey. We are going up to the mountain and Isaac and I will both return shortly.’

Abraham knew that God could raise Isaac up from the dead. He was so sure that he told the servant before it ever happened. How could he do that?

He concluded that God was able to raise Isaac from the dead.

I find that challenging to me personally. There is an area or two where I really struggle with trusting god. I guess I really have yet to count Him as able to take care of those. One would think after 40 years of watching God meet need after need and overcoming obstacle after obstacle I would have learned that He really is able.

We teach a song to kids that I think I need to apply to my own life. Theologically it simple means that I, like Abraham, have counted God able. The question I have to consider is whether or not I can count Him as able in those areas of my life.

‘He is able. He is able. I know His is able. I know my Lord is able to carry me through.’