Flaming maple?

Scapegoat?

I honestly felt like I'd run through my packet of hope. Checked for scraps, found none, and was in the process of throwing the empty packet away when God suddenly showed me a little piece I could nibble upon. It may seem like nothing, but like in Abraham's case, it could be the scapegoat.

Think you've lost it all? Do you think along the lines of Job - the Lord gave, the Lord has taken away...? Praise the Lord??? Think again. Look around you. Ask God to open your eyes; to open the eyes of your heart... and there you'll find the ram caught in the thicket - the scapegoat.

> Isaac was Abrahams promise child. He was his and Sarah's (we know Ishmael wasn't), theirs as a result of the God's covenant with abraham. Now, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, I cannot even imagine what would have gone on inside Abraham's mind. Surely, God didn't forget Isaac was His part of the deal(covenant)?? But, he obeyed.

> Think about it. Isaac was Abraham's only son. Probably, Abraham realized that the God who gave him one son could give him a hundred more... but you're forgetting he loved Isaac (Gen 22:2). But, he obeyed.

> The time came; Isaac was bound and Abraham had reached the deciding moment of his life. Many of us come to this level - Where do our loyalies lie? Will you stay with Him, or does something or someone else seem more important to us when it comes to the pinch? I cannot even imagine the pain Abraham would have felt. But, he obeyed.

So many times in our lives, there is a vision God placed in our hearts, or a dream; something you've been careful enough to nurture for Him. Time goes by, and you're left with only the vision and the faith seems to die out like a candle's flame... A leaning tower of hope that has all but toppled over... It is falling... Abraham's knife is coming down towards Isaac's heart.... And the Lord said " STOP!"

Have you been asking the Lord if something is possible? You've prayed about it till you've turned blue or even purple? Think about Sarah. Think about Mary and Martha. The hurt they felt was only matched by the love they thought Jesus had for them. But at the very end of hope... the last flicker of the flame... the end of the arc that the knife travelled before finding it's mark... God showed the ram that was caught in the thicket.

So many of us fail to understand just how much God loves us... and how much love He expects from us in return. He is the Father... and yet, He paid the dearest price of all. You see, our ram in the thicket was none other than God's Son Himself.

There's a beautiful song that echoes your feelng when you're in doubt... and I want you to read it. It's by Petra

There are times when you feel like you can't go on
There are times when you feel like giving in
And there are times when you feel like you can't try anymore
There are times of trouble in believing
This test of your faith will last
As long as it takes to pass
Till you have no more doubt you'll endure
And your faith will emerge true and pure

(Chorus)
No doubt it'll be alright
With God it'll work together for good
No doubt in the end it will be understood
No doubt it'll all work out
With faith He can move any mountain for us
No doubt in the power of Jesus
And after all is done we find out
All we really need to have is no doubt

There's a time to take a reckless leap of faith
There's a time to be cautious and to wait
And there's a way of learning from the past
That this time of trouble won't last
And sometimes we want to think we know
The ways He will choose to make us grow
But it's never the way of our choosing
And we can't always see what He's using

There will be winters in the seasons of our soul
With a cold and bitter wind that chills our lives
But our faith can be building a fire
That will warm us till springtime arrives

posted by Finney @ 1:44 PM