Genesis 22: 1-18
Today I'm praying how God really needs to be in all the details of several things that are troubling me. I get that phrase from a friend, who frequently prays "for God to be in all the details."
My friend's prayer comforts me. I might be praying for a health situation. Or a financial situation. Or a relationship. Something regarding a ministry or work decision. I might know the outcome I want, but I don't know all the details of the process. I also realize that my prayer might not be answered as I wish. Even then, it's meaningful to pray for and meditate on God being in all the details of the situation, in every aspect of the process and the outcome.
I think Abraham might have thought this way when, at the outset of Genesis 22, God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Abraham was willing to go as far as necessary, but he also has this exchange with Isaac in Genesis 22: 6-8 that indicates Abraham might have been praying silently for God to be in all the details of this incredibly stressful venture:
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.
I imagine Abraham wondering how God was going to resolve this situation and whether he truly would have to follow through by sacrificing Isaac. Trusting God to be in all the details, Abraham went forward with the plan until God spared his son.
What was this result of this trust and obedience? A blessing. Not only does God provide a sacrificial ram, but his angel reaffirms God's promise to Abraham to bless and multiply his descendants through Isaac.
When we trust in God to be in all the details, we too can expect a blessing of some kind to emerge, reflecting our faith and obedience that God will provide.
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