The Place of Testing 5-9-09

Good morning, Lord Jesus. Lord of heaven and earth, be Lord of my mind and heart. ... "After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, 'Abraham!' And he said, 'Here I am.' He said, 'Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you'.... On the third day, Abraham looked up and saw the place far away" (Genesis 22:1-4). You "test the minds and hearts" of all people (Psalm 7:9). You don't look merely to the outward appearances, but look beneath the surface of vain words, religious actions, and empty promises to see our true hearts. "For the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7). We may say we will follow You wherever You lead; we may promise to obey You whatever You command; we may believe we have surrendered all of our hearts and souls to You, but the times of testing reveal the truth. You reveal it to us not to shame us or condemn us, but to remind us that apart from You we can do nothing (John 15:5). Your tests remind us that no matter how mature we think we are or how sanctified we think we have become, we have no righteousness apart from You; we are desperately dependant upon You and Your grace, every moment of every day. Abraham looked up and saw the place of his test from "far away." He could see it coming. And that's part of the test too. Will we keep going forward even when we know a time of testing lies ahead? Will we turn back or to the side? Will we make other plans? Will we say we cannot endure it or give in to the fear that we cannot survive it? Will we flee in the face of the problems, or stand firm in the power of Your grace and rely on the faithfulness of Your promises? "No testing will overtake you that is not common to everyone. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing He will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13). Though Abraham looked up and saw the place of his testing, even from far away, He pressed on. And You provided the way out with a sacrifice You provided by Your grace on his behalf, just as he knew in his heart You always would. "Abraham said, 'God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt offering, my son' " (Genesis 22:8). Abraham was found faithful. He passed the test because he trusted You to always provide all we need. No matter what testing we may endure, no matter how clearly we begin to see the place where our testing will come, we can trust the One who provided the Lamb, the One who provided Your Son, Your only Son, so we will be able to endure it (John 3:16). In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Be encouraged today! In the Love of Jesus, Tommy Hays Friends, we have a special guest from Israel coming to The Mountain this Monday Night, May 11, to speak on current issues and lead us in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem and the people of the land of Israel. Please come join us. Come to the Mountain! every Monday night at 7 pm to pray for Israel and the peace of Jerusalem led by Doris and Bob McCray of our ministry. Hosted at Southland Evangelical Methodist Church 2601 Clays Mill Rd (corner of Clays Mill and Hill n' Dale). Contact Doris & Bob at bndmccray@windstream.net All are welcome! Come to The Fountain! on the 3rd Friday night of every month for our ministry's gathering of the body of Christ from every tradition and stream to worship the Lord in Sprit and in Truth. Come drink deeply from the Living Waters in the freedom of the Spirit. 7 pm in the chapel at Centenary (www.CentenaryLex.com). All are welcome. Call for details: 859-422-1794 or send a note to Marilyn at DirOfMinistries@aol.com Subscribe by email to me at Messiah Ministries --MessiahMin@aol.com -- "Preparing the Way of the Lord ... Ministering the Healing Love of God" www.messiah-ministries.org 2800 Tates Creek Rd; Lexington, KY 40502 Order our Ministry Resources or Contribute to our vision and calling: www.shop.messiah-ministries.org