Hmm. My mind has been working overtime this morning. I’m thinking. Processing. Switching. Rethinking.

So what is it that I’m working through this morning? Faith.

Let me take you to the beginning of my thought process. I have long thought and felt that Sarah was disturbed and against Abraham sacrificing their only son, Isaac. I’ve read about it. I’ve seen it pictured in movies. And so I’ve never thought about it much more than just what I’ve mentioned.

But recently I read a little devotional about Sarah. I met the author each day of the week to stop and ponder Sarah’s life and how she might have reacted to such things as moving to a place that even her husband didn’t know, and that she was to have a child in her old age, and that her husband was going to sacrifice her beloved child she had longed for.

This is the part that caught my attention. The author suggested that Sarah encouraged Abraham to follow God’s instructions and sacrifice Isaac. Why? Because her faith had grown. She came to understand that trusting God was the only way to live. If God said to do it, there was a reason for it. And maybe one reason was for faith to develop.

You see, Sarah had been barren for many years. And when she was well past child-bearing years, she was told that she would have a child. Of course she laughed, but just as the Lord said, Sarah brought forth a beautiful son named Isaac at the age of 90.

I wonder how Sarah’s faith must have grown at that point. From disbelief to complete trust in her Lord. It stands to reason that Sarah had learned to trust God through these few precious years to the point that when Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac, Sarah was as trusting as Abraham that God would continue to be faithful to them.

Of course my mind didn’t stop there. I then wondered about Mary. We know she was at the crucifixion scene when Jesus died. All of my images of her are of a mourning mother. But what if she was there to encourage Jesus to fulfill His mission? Oh, that goes against every motherly fiber in my being, but really, Mary knew Jesus. Mary knew that Jesus was God’s Beloved Son. Mary knew God had sent Jesus for a reason and that reason was to redeem mankind.

What if Mary were at the crucifixion scene because she believed and trusted God far more than we could imagine?

I find no Scriptural evidence of either of these ideas. But if their (Sarah and Mary’s) faith and trust in God developed as ours should, these scenes might have been just as I’ve mentioned.

Maybe it’s too much to think about on a summer Saturday morning. But I have to ask. Where do you stand in your faith walk? Are you still laughing at God’s preposterous ideas or are you at the foot of the cross believing that God is able to do anything He says? Wherever you are on this journey, I believe that God wants to take you deeper. Are you willing? I pray dear friend that you will be open to God’s direction. It’s no telling where He will take you.

Grace and peace be yours in abundance,

Donna