A Ram and A Promise
January 15, 2022
Written By: Kaylynn Schrack
And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son…
Gen.22 KJV
Hi Friends!
I’d like to share my heart for a few minutes today and talk to you about one of my favorite stories in the Bible, it’s the story of Abraham and Isaac, found in the book of Genesis, Chapter 22. In short, God has commanded Abraham to take Isaac, [his only son, the son he dearly loved] to the mountains, and to offer him as a burnt offering.
There is so much to this story, and over the years I have found within, many golden nuggets. But today, I want only to focus on one part of the story, specifically one short moment, envision the moment with me: Abraham has built an altar, bound Isaac and placed him upon the wood, he now stands over him, arm outstretched, knife in hand ready to plunge, ready to slay his son, his promise. Why this moment?
Well, for just a second, I’ll give you a little back story. My husband and I were driving to a church where he was to preach that Sunday, it was a beautiful sunny day. We were listening to music, and simply enjoying the drive. The Lord suddenly dropped this very moment into my mind.
He then spoke to me: "Put yourself in the place of Abraham. You are standing over your promise with that knife, you are about to kill your promise. This moment is called, waiting on the ram."
I started crying because of this beautiful Word from the Lord! You see, at this time in my life, things were out of focus and felt dead. It was then that I knew, God had a divine plan for my life, and He hadn't forgotten the things, the promises, that He had spoken to me over the years. But like with Abraham, He had to know if I loved Him more than the promises. You see, there is a space between the death of your promise, and the fulfillment of that very same promise! In reality, this pivotal moment in Abraham's life didn't last very long, but it was certainly a make-or-break moment. We all have these pivotal, “waiting for the ram” moments.
Are you in the place of Abraham, holding a knife over your promise? Well, let me encourage you, have faith, you are just “waiting on the ram”, God will come through for you!
Just before Abraham went through with the sacrifice of Issac, God sent an angel to stop him. God knew that he was willing to give his promise away, even if it meant his beloved son would die. God was faithful and revealed (provided) a ram caught in the thicket, for Abraham to sacrifice.
When you come to a similar moment, in your life, don’t lose faith, God will send a ram for you! He has never failed and never will. It takes trust and patience, but your ram will come. It takes great faith to wait, and sometimes it will feel like you won't make it, but you will. Stop and think about how Abraham must have felt, knowing that he was going to have to kill his promised beloved son! He knew his God didn't even approve of human sacrifice, yet he was asking him to do just that.
In James 2:21-23, God called Abraham his friend, this happened after he proved to God that he loved and feared him above all. So, if today your life seems dark or confusing, remember that you are just dwelling in a “waiting for the ram” moment! God will show up when you least expect, don't give up, withhold nothing, your ram is on its way!
God bless you today and always!
Kaylynn Schrack
