亚伯拉罕的信心之旅包含一些痛苦和曲折的经历，今天的故事总会令大部份父母感到耿耿于怀。在这里，神要试验亚伯拉罕，衪吩付亚伯拉罕把他的儿子献上作为祭物 － 而亚伯拉罕几乎完全照做了！
这个要求看来实在不可理喻 － 神竟然吩咐亚伯拉罕把他自己的儿子献上为祭。以撒毕竟是神所应许的后裔 － 神是藉着他应许赐福给万国万民的。亚伯拉罕或许觉得这个命令不合情理；以撒可是神所赐的礼物啊！现在亚伯拉罕似乎要把这份礼物交还给神了。亚伯拉罕能否舍弃他的儿子 － 这个对他来说比生命还要宝贵的儿子呢？既然这样，神藉以撒赐福给万国的应许又如何成就呢？
对亚伯拉罕的信心而言，这件事肯定是一个极具挑战和极难忍受的试验。然而，不论如何，亚伯拉罕对神有足够的信心，他相信会有解决方案的；他甚至告诉以撒：“我儿，神必自己预备作燔祭的羊羔。”当亚伯拉罕动手准备杀他的儿子献祭时，果然神制止了他。
我们的信心有时也会受到试验的。无论试验多么具挑战性，我们是否会服从神的吩咐、信靠神必定持守衪的应许呢？神的独生子耶稣已为我们舍弃生命了，藉着衪我们可以相信，在神凡事总会有完满的结果。
父啊，求你叫我们深深相信你，又帮助我们相信，你会保守我们平安渡过每一个信心的试验。阿们。
创世记 22:1-12
1这些事以后，神要试验亚伯拉罕，就呼叫他说：“亚伯拉罕！”他说：“我在这里。”
2神说：“你带着你的儿子，就是你独生的儿子，你所爱的以撒，往摩利亚地去，在我所要指示你的山上，把他献为燔祭。”
3亚伯拉罕清早起来，备上驴，带着两个仆人和他儿子以撒，也劈好了燔祭的柴，就起身往神所指示他的地方去了。
4到了第三日，亚伯拉罕举目远远地看见那地方。
5亚伯拉罕对他的仆人说：“你们和驴在此等候，我与童子往那里去拜一拜，就回到你们这里来。”
6亚伯拉罕把燔祭的柴放在他儿子以撒身上，自己手里拿着火与刀，于是二人同行。
7以撒对他父亲亚伯拉罕说：“父亲哪！”亚伯拉罕说：“我儿，我在这里。”以撒说：“请看，火与柴都有了，但燔祭的羊羔在哪里呢？”
8亚伯拉罕说：“我儿，神必自己预备做燔祭的羊羔。”于是二人同行。
9他们到了神所指示的地方，亚伯拉罕在那里筑坛，把柴摆好，捆绑他的儿子以撒，放在坛的柴上。
10亚伯拉罕就伸手拿刀，要杀他的儿子。
11耶和华的使者从天上呼叫他说：“亚伯拉罕！亚伯拉罕！”他说：“我在这里。”
12天使说：“你不可在这童子身上下手，一点不可害他。现在我知道你是敬畏神的了，因为你没有将你的儿子，就是你独生的儿子，留下不给我。”
"God said, 'Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and . . . sacrifice him . . . as a burnt offering.'" - Genesis 22:2
Abraham's journey of faith involved some painful twists and turns. This episode can tend to leave a knot in nearly every parent's stomach. Here God tests Abraham by telling him to offer up his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice—and Abraham very nearly goes through with it!
The request seems unthinkable—asking Abraham to offer up his own son. After all, this was the son of promise—the one through whom God promised to bless the nations of the world. This command likely made no sense at all to Abraham. Isaac was God's great gift. But now it seemed that this gift was to be given back, surrendered up to God. Could Abraham let go of his son—the one thing that meant more to him than life itself? And what about God's promise to bless the nations through him?
This surely was a challenging, excruciating test of Abraham's faith. But somehow Abraham had learned to trust God enough to provide a solution. He even told Isaac, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." And as Abraham was about to slay his son, God told him to stop.
At times our faith may be tested too. Will we trust God to keep his promises, however challenging it may be to obey? Through Jesus, God's only Son, who laid down his life for our sake, we can trust God with the outcome.
Lord, give us deeply trusting faith in you. Help us to know that you will see us through every trial we encounter. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
