Rise Early

“So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac.” (Genesis 22:3)

God didn’t want Isaac. He wanted Abraham’s heart. 

So the Lord gave him a test: Take a precious gift I’ve given you, a gift that’s central to my purpose for you, and offer it back to me. 

Earlier in his life, Abraham questioned God (Genesis 15:3, 8; 17:17-18). By this point, he had learned not to waste time. The God who gave a son in his old age through a barren wife had secured his immediate obedience (Romans 4:19-21).

So he rose early, cut the wood, and went at once to Moriah.

Abraham could have procrastinated as he considered the consequences. How could God fulfill his promise to bless the world through Isaac (Genesis 17:19) if Isaac was killed?

Abraham didn’t know the answer, but he believed that God did. So he moved forward by faith. He silenced the doubts with footsteps in the direction of the Spirit.

Do you rise “early in the morning” when God calls you to make a difficult sacrifice? 

The flesh wants to put it off and sleep in. But the first steps of the hike become all the more weighty when you deliberate over what God has made clear. 

When God calls you to offer his gift to you—what is central to his purpose for you—your job is to rise early and go at once. Instant obedience comes from a deep conviction that God will always align his promises with your obedience, even when it doesn’t make sense. 

Overcoming faith “wakes the dawn” (Psalm 57:8). If you have heard from the Lord, move by faith before the sun hits the horizon—before the drowsy afternoon of delay lulls you into disobedience. 

Abraham passed the test by hopping on the saddle at once. He acted on the conviction that God was always faithful to his promises.

Jesus likewise did not hesitate. He “saddled his donkey” and rode up the hill of faith. He said “Yes” to God and released the consequences to heaven. And what looked like a foolish act of obedience became the hinge on which all of God’s promises were fulfilled.