When I Lay My Isaac Down

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about." Genesis 22:1, 2 (NIV)

As a new Christian, I can't say I liked that scripture.  In fact, I thought, " I think that's going a little too far God."  Of course, the real truth is I didn't fully understand it.

Over the years I realized the scripture was about loving God first and more then any other person or thing.  When my oldest daughter Jessica was a teenager, I remember giving her to God and; giving her to God again and again.  When my second daughter, Samantha was a teenager, I repeated the same cycle.  As a mom we can only teach and direct when our kids are in view.  Our kids belong to God and He has them in view all the time. Was that like sacrificing them on an altar?  No.  Some of that cycle was out of:  "I can't take much more of this."  It was, however, a step in the right direction.

I have to say until a few years ago when I heard the song, When I Lay My Isaac Down, did I understand that scripture at a deeper level.

The words that stand out for me in that song go something like this:

…it's you and Isaac or it's you and Me.
At the altar I know it's not my Isaac You want, it's me.

Whatever you are putting ahead of God; God wants it. He wants no obstacle in the way of our relationship with Him.  Initially, I believe we see some more obvious things that block our relationship with God and then God takes us a little deeper to smaller things.  Smaller things that we dismissed as not being all that bad and or things we really don't want to give up.

In the spiritual world the smaller things are as important as the bigger.  Why?  The smaller things are still about doing it our way, not God's way.  The world tells you that 90-95% of something is good, in fact real good. When it comes to God, He wants a 100% of us.

Some of things on that list could be unforgiveness, anger, negativity, pride, excess work, being a victim, rationalizing our behavior, justifying our behavior, and or the lies we believe about ourselves.
If we want to follow Christ then whatever He directs us to give up we are to give it up.

I listen to this song nearly every day.  I find every day I have something to lay down. God knows we are sinners. I believe He wants us to understand that we need to be trimmed and; have a willingness on our part to be trimmed. If we allow Him to trim us , He will grow us.


Lord, I pray we want to follow you.   I pray we lay our Isaac's down.