One of my latest additions to my kitchen is this ceramic knife by Santoku that was given to me by my son Josh. Nothing thrills me more than a new kitchen gadget! Thank you Josh!

But this morning God gave me a picture of a knife of another kind- the one that was held in the hand of Abraham in Gen 22:10. Can you imagine how he must have felt at that very moment he clinched that knife in both hands, turned his head the other way as he took a deep breath and raised it as high as he could above the body of his son- his only son?

Freeze!  Hold that pose!

 There are many applications we could grab hold of but one that has stopped me in my tracks is “how far am I willing to go in obedience?”  What is it that God has spoken to me about? Will I trust Him to the very point of raising the knife, holding that pose until He comes through?  Or will I melt to my knees in total exasperation not willing to wait any longer.

Like Abraham, would I have made it all the ways to the point of raising the knife or would I have never even made it out of bed that morning rolled over and buried my head in a pillow of disobedience? When I don’t have a complete picture of God’s provision in my life, when I can’t quite figure out what He is doing and others also begin to question that, am I still able to say with confidence as Abraham did in vs. 8 of chapter 22, “God will provide”!

Freeze! Hold that pose!

What is it that you are holding onto? Is it a promise from God that has not yet come into fruition? Don’t drop the knife of hope and obedience because of fear and doubt, taking life’s situations into your own hands. (One Ishmael was enough!) But rather take a deep breath. Raise your hands in worship. Turn your head, look… listen… our God will provide!