Sermon Summary

The story of God testing Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, demonstrates great faith and obedience in an intensely difficult situation. An angel of the Lord intervened and provided a ram as a substitutionary sacrificial burnt offering. This story foreshadows what God did for humanity by giving His one and only son as a substitutionary sacrifice for us. Throughout scripture, God tests both the righteous and the unrighteous. His testing of Abraham came after making a promise to him. When Abraham arrived in Israel, God promised to give him the land for his descendants and to make his descendants as numerous as the stars. God can test us anytime, but sometimes He tests us after making a promise to us. He tests to reveal our hearts and to see if we will walk in His instruction. The God who tests us also provides for us in our faith and obedience, as evidenced by Abraham’s story. Abraham was counted as a righteous man because of his faith. We can be tested by adversity or suffering, but also by the accolades we’ve been given. We live today, preparing for the ultimate test.

”Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter trials of various kinds, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.“ ‭

James‬ ‭1‬:‭2‬-‭4‬

God’s Testing and Faithfulness

“God tests through accolades or blessings” 

The sermon caused me to reflect on some tests I faced in more recent years. For a little background, I was an off-and-on homemaker for many years. I worked when the money was needed to help support our family. I worked a part-time job and attended college for the better part of a decade. As I earned each degree and certification, I became more career-focused. In December 2019, I earned a Master of Business Administration. I was working in Finance and Human Resources and thought for sure this key was going to unlock my first salaried job with real benefits after many years of volunteer work, unpaid internships, and part-time non-benefited positions. I should have discerned that something was up when I completed my last class toward an MBA degree, and even after much time in contemplation of the next steps, reflection, and prayer, I could not say what my next steps were. I had the education, experience, and passion, yet I entered a humbling “moment of silence,” awaiting God’s direction. In another message, I listened on about “moments of silence,” those times when we’ve called on God and felt he was being silent. It’s in our waiting that we learn to trust that God is working in the background, orchestrating events. God allowed time for the teaching of the Old Testament to penetrate the world before Jesus Christ, the son of God, came to the world. Mary was a humble servant of the Lord, and humility is what brought her God’s favor. Of all the people, God chose her to bring Jesus into the world. Joseph could have deserted Mary; instead, he was a faithful servant. It’s within our human nature to want the prize; the healing, the achievement, the position of leadership. We want to feel valued and favored. But, are we willing to step out in obedience, to remain faithful through the most difficult of times, to trust God during the times of silence, and to lay down our pride in an act of humility, submitted to the Will of God with the understanding that we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them? 

“God tests what we love, to reveal our hearts.”

Three short months after earning my degree, the whole world shut down, including the children’s schools. I found myself trying to juggle a hybrid form of survival schooling through public school online, along with being thrust into remote work. I worked late nights until 11 pm and had early morning wake-ups to serve the needs of our family. Within a few months, my husband was offered a better-paying job and urged me to quit my job to become a full-time homemaker for our family. That was the first test. I initially balked at the idea and thought how preposterous it was that I should quit my job after everything I sacrificed to earn my way up the ladder. I mean, I had a fit about it. Then God began to work on my heart. He has a way of molding people’s hearts. I felt convicted about my attitude, about my unwillingness to submit my husband, and ultimately, to God. I also realized that my career had become an idol. So, I laid it down and took my thoughts and turned them to God in obedience. My perspective began to shift as I began to see the blessing in the opportunity; in the chaos, I was being invited to rest from striving for worldly success. I even started a Bible study over the Book of Job with my neighbors, not knowing that God was preparing me for what He could see just months down the road — our lives would be turned upside down even further.

“God tests though adversity and suffering”

Shortly after, I had two discs in my back slip out of place, and fragmented pieces of the disc entered the space around my spinal column. This resulted in a severe bout of sciatica pain, physical therapy, chiropractic care, and increasing limited mobility. I cried and prayed frequently as there were times I could barely move out of my bed, or sit or stand for more than 5 minutes. I’d just lay in bed praying and singing along with worship music to the Lord. The physical therapy actually worsened my condition, leading me to seek chiropractic care. This injury lasted for 3 months. In fact, I was referred to a spinal surgeon, and on the day I met with him, I felt the pain lifting and knew I would not need surgery. God healed me just in time for the next surreal event.

In October 2019, during the early morning hours, our home was broken into and set on fire as our family slept upstairs. It’s as if the Holy Spirit directed our steps through the entire process. From the moment I realized there was a small fire in the kitchen, to the moment I called the police as I sat on the bed with the children, waking them, while unaware that a massive fire was billowing just beneath us in the garage. From the moment we made our way down the stairs as smoke began billowing in, to the heart-wrenching moments of watching the bedroom window burst open in flames as we ran across the street. By the grace of God, we made it out of our home alive, the Holy Spirit ordaining our steps every moment of the way. Although the fire was arson-induced by criminals who broke into our home, we never even encountered them. It is all to the Glory of God that we made it through. Just two weeks later, the criminals went on to commit another home intrusion and killed the homeowner. So, I know what we were spared from. I’ve always believed in the existence of God – He’s proven Himself over and over but this was one of those supernatural events.

“These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed”1 Peter 1:7

Following our displacement, I became immersed in the full-time work of homeschooling our children in temporary housing situations, while also handling the aftermath of dealing with the insurance and mortgage company, investigators, and rebuilding all while COVID-19 raged on. My oldest daughter also got married during this time. It was a full year of major life changes.

“God tests to see if we will walk in His instruction” 

When reflecting on all that has transpired, I feel embarrassed by the fit that I had thrown about not being able to work. Looking back, you’d think that God’s provision would have been my sure sign that homemaking was right where I needed to be. Afterall, Hs way is the best way. Yet, apparently, I needed another test.

Straying from God’s Plan

As we emerged from the chaos, I was eager to “return to normal” with the rest of the world. We moved back into our rebuilt home, and my middle daughter went back into public school. I had the thought, “I enjoy educating through homeschooling so much, I think God might be leading me into a career change!” God had given me the capacity to enjoy the life He had given me, and I ran in the opposite direction with it. I decided to apply to the school system where I was hired as a Paraprofessional. I spent most of the semester sick with COVID-19, inflammation, and widespread pain that lingered after COVID-19, the flu, and a recurrence of pain from the herniated discs. I was also busy covering classes because of teacher shortages compounded by COVID-19, flu, and other illnesses. At the same time, my son who had thrived in homeschooling was beginning to fail math and have behavioral issues at school. How ironic that I was working as a Paraprofessional providing accommodation while my son struggled the whole day at school and then came home to do extra work in the evenings to keep up.

Returning to the Right Path

Through prayer and working out the pros and cons, I decided that it was in our best interest to return home. Now I realize that after the storm cleared, I went right back to idolizing my career. I repented of that. Last year was our second homeschool year and I thought, “Wow, we had a terrific year; I can’t wait to do it again and again.” Now, I’m almost through with our third successful year of homeschooling. I’ve since fully embraced my homemaking, traditional way of life. We even began homesteading with raised beds gardening, chicken-keeping, and canning. I have met so many supportive mom friends who have encouraged me and loved me, which has taught me to love better. We’ve settled into a solid church and are digging into the Word of God often. I’m still learning that when it comes to planning, God’s purpose will prevail and we know that even in the bad things, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” Romans 8:28. Thank you God for directing and redirecting me. Thank you for showing me my own falliable human heart through these tests and for refining it like gold by the fire. I failed those tests in some way, but I have also learned and experienced tremendous spiritual growth. I pray for strengthening to endure the future tests that I know are to come. We live today, preparing for the ultimate test, the genuineness of our faith that results in salvation and eternal life in God’s Kingdom. If you do not have a personal relationship with the heavenly Father through Christ Jesus, I urge you right now to reconsider. If you want to have a conversation about that, reach out!