February 26 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

When Abraham was making that three-day journey to Moriah, he "reasoned that God could even raise the dead." He did not indulge in self-pity, nor did he look at Isaac only. Instead he asked, "Who is my God?" He lived with God, and he had nothing left but God. During the whole test we see an unnatural calm in Abraham. It is the peace and assurance of a man whose heart rests in God.

We must not rationalize Abraham's behavior. He did not say, "God won't let it go to the end; he'll stop me at the last moment." Neither did he reason, "God is opposed to human sacrifices; he doesn't really mean it." On the contrary, as the letter to the Hebrews says, Abraham really sacrificed Isaac—and did so "by faith." It was after he had given up Isaac that Isaac was raised from the dead, figuratively speaking, and given back to Abraham.

Our efforts to explain Abraham's behavior in rational terms show our ignorance of life with God. Something in us refuses to believe that God would demand so much—just as we are never quite ready to believe that God can give so much. Even if we know that this is the plain teaching of the Bible, we don't quite grasp it. It appears that the pictures of people whom we know and love as Christians speak louder than a thousand Bible words. Countless people—in fact, all Christians—say that they want to live according to God's Word, but in reality most of them follow the "Christian" patterns of the community to which they belong.

We must listen to God. We must submit to God's tests. We must be anxious for God's approval. God must teach us how to move through this life with the serenity and the tension of someone who lives primarily with him.

REFLECTIONS

How do you react to the advice in the last paragraph above? Reflect on that, and then frame a prayer around what you need to say to God.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.