God called Abraham out of the land of Ur. He called him to leave the land of idolatry; the land of his fathers; everything that he knew and even who he was.Abraham surrendered it all. The Bible said when he was called out that he obeyed not knowing where he was going.
He surrendered his past.
In the story of Abraham there is a great lesson for us. When God calls, He calls us out. He asks us to surrender our past.
This level of commitment is basic and in many ways, easy compared to the next level that He calls us to.
We bring our sin, our guilt, our hurts, our failures and our pain to God. Our shattered dreams are healed and restored in his presence. The guilt of our past fades into peace and contentment in the light of His mercy.
However, the story of Abraham does not end there. God promises him that he is going to have a son and that his seed will be as the stars in the sky and the sands of seashore. Isaac was promised and chosen.
Therefore, I am sure that it was devastating to Abraham when God told him to take Isaac and sacrifice him.
When Abraham looks at Isaac he not only sees his beloved and long awaited son, his own flesh and blood, he sees much more.
He sees in Isaac the face of his dreams. He sees his promise. He sees the future.
God was not only asking for his son. He was asking for his dreams, his ambitions, and his legacy.
As Abraham bound Isaac to the altar he also bound his desires.
As he raised the knife he surrendered his future.
Surrendering our past is an obvious benefit to us. We give God our guilt, our hurts and our pains. He takes the tattered pieces and weaves them into something beautiful.
However, are we willing to surrender our future? Are we willing to give God our dreams, our hopes, and our ambitions?
As we surrender everything we desire it releases us to be completely led by Him.
Position, titles, prestige, or even geographic location no longer dominates our desires.
Completely surrendering our future to God opens up a whole new level of covenant, power, and anointing.
As God told Abraham, "now I know."
