In an often-told Bible story, God tells an old man named Abraham to kill his only son. In the modern world, this seems cruel, unusual, and obscene, and it wouldn't have seemed any different to Abraham. The old man had spent years obsessing over the fact that he had no children, no legacy. In his world, a man's life meant nothing if he didn't continue his genetic line. When God finally blessed Abraham with a son (after he and his wife had far surpassed natural, child-bearing age), the old man was utterly joyful.

Yet, years later, God tells Abraham to kill this son, to crush this blessing. God sends Abraham on a three-day journey into the mountains, instructing him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. It should not be ignored that Abraham's trip took three days. Have you ever agonized over a decision? Which car should I buy? Where should I go for my vacation? Does this shirt make me look fat? Even simple decisions can be excruciating. Abraham had to spend THREE DAYS agonizing over whether he should obey his God and KILL HIS OWN SON, or whether he should allow his son to live and disobey his God. After a solitary trek deep into the mountains, Abraham builds an alter to his God, lays his son on it, and raises the knife to slay the boy and render his own life a meaningless, murderous failure.

For Abraham, this wasn't like giving up chocolate for Lent, or losing his Wednesday evening to a Bible study. This was giving up his prized possession, his hopes and dreams, his life. This was committing the most important thing in his life to God's control, even though he knew that God was going to destroy it. Abraham had always felt that his God was good, but this good God had asked him to do something horrible, something unthinkable, something evil. In spite of this, Abraham continued to trust in the goodness of his God.

All of us have our own Isaac. It might not be a son, but it exists. Your Isaac might be your education, your career, your retirement, your family, your health, your self-esteem, your financial security, your whatever. The question is, if you had to give up your Isaac, to render your life a meaningless failure, would you trust in the goodness of your God?

Right now, if things are failing, do you trust in the goodness of your God? If your God isn't acting how you think a God should, do you trust in the goodness of your God? If God hasn't spoken clearly to you, do you trust in the goodness of your God?

Do you trust in the goodness of your God?