Genesis 22:6-8 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.
Abraham and Isaac went together to the place God had told them about. Silently they went. Spiritually silent was the son before the father, and the father before God. God brought them to the place where they could both only be thing of Him. It was without human courage that they went, because they went in faith. On God’s path, they were out of their elements and could only trust that God would do what was right. The journey was spiritually motivated because the circumstances were beyond their control. To talk casually about spiritual experiences is an indication that one has only a shallow understanding and is void of their own such experience.
In the life of faith the pressure of forethought is replaced by faith in God. Our rational understanding is no match for the rational thoughts and ways of God. Practical work is nearly always a determination to think for ourselves, to take the pressure of forethought on ourselves: I see the need; therefore I must do something. That is not the effectual call of God, but the call of our sympathy with conditions as we see them. When God’s call comes, we learn to do actively what He tells us and take no thought for tomorrow.
The path to God is never the same as the path of God. If we move along with God on His path, we will not understand, but He does. We may be able to understand God, but not His path. When we take a step of faith in God and fulfill His command, God does our fore thinking for us. When we do it for ourselves, God is relegated to second place.
