Burn the Ships

"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, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.'"
Genesis 22:1-2 (NIV)

In 1519, Hernán Cortés lands in Mexico with 11 ships and gives his men a completely shocking order. “Burn the ships.” There is no going back. They are all in.

Abraham faces his own burn-the-ships moment. God has finally given him the son he waited twenty-five years for, a boy named Isaac, and now God asks Abraham to give Isaac back. 

Despite the shock of the story, one word demands our attention: "Some time later God tested Abraham." The Hebrew word for "tested" carries the idea of improving something by putting it through a trial. A faith that cannot be tested cannot be trusted.

God isn't asking Abraham so that this man loses something. He's asking Abraham in order to reveal something. Buried inside the words "your son, your only son, whom you love" is the same question God is placing before you right now. Which matters more to you, the gift He gave you, or the God who gave the gift?

Take a moment with that question. What's the one thing you'd be most reluctant to lay before God? It might be a job you've built your identity around, a relationship you're trying to control, or a plan you haven't let Him near. That hesitation is usually the answer. Before you start the day, tell God you’re holding it with an open hand. Let Him know it’s His before yours.

Cortés burned the ships and changed history. God is inviting you to offer what you hold dear for something worth infinitely more.

Prayer: Lord, I confess there are things I'm holding so tightly I've started loving the gift more than the Giver. Today I'm loosening my grip. You gave me everything, and I trust You with everything. Show me what I need to lay before You right now. In Jesus' Name, Amen.