How Do We Respond to God’s Promises?
While I was in Dallas recently, a dear friend took me to the Museum of Biblical Art. Oh, what a gift that was! For those of you who have not had a chance to experience this museum, the pilgrimage piece in the museum is a magnificent mural of the Resurrection of Jesus by artist, Ron DiCianni.
When the artist was asked to replace their previous pilgrimage piece that had been destroyed in a fire, he prayed and was given two demands: the work had to be about the Resurrection of Jesus and it had to be sized at 12 feet high by 40 feet wide. It is definitely a piece to experience! In his recent book about the painting, he states, “Any painting can make you look, I hope mine can make you see….” Well thank you Mr. DiCianni for helping me to see how Abraham and the others you depicted in Jesus’ cloud of witnesses based on Hebrews 12: 1 all definitely point me to Jesus Christ.
As I placed myself in the various scenes from Genesis inspired by the artwork and the liturgical calendar during the last week or so, I came to a deeper understanding of many things about myself including my deep need for Jesus Christ, my Savior.
I think the first thing that really struck me was the scene from Genesis 17: 17 where Abraham fell facedown to the ground and laughed at God when God made the promise to make him fruitful.
I was reminded of my own tendency to doubt the power of God. In this story, we have Abraham and Sarah close to one hundred years old being promised they will bear a son. Sacred Scripture reveals their first reactions as one of laughter. We all know the story, Abraham and Sarah did have a newborn son, Isaac. For me, my first reaction is usually fear of the unknown and frustration with the lack of clarity about how something I deeply desire might be possible. I found much consolation in coming to a deeper realization of how God follows through with His promises no matter what the odds look like. I particularly resonated with the rhetorical question posed to Abraham in Genesis 18: 14, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
Another scene that I resonated with is in Genesis 22: 1-19 where Abraham is tested by God.
Mr. DiCianni posits that Abraham like no one aside from God Himself has ever been asked to do what God Asked of Abraham—-to kill his only son. Wow! I really resisted entering that scene with Abraham when he was asked to surrender his only son as a sacrificial offering on one of the mountains. I imagined the deep love Abraham must have experienced from God to be able to trust God so totally and was able to come to a deeper experience of how much God loves me too. What an incredible witness of faith for Abraham to obey God’s request and journey with Isaac and two servants to the place of sacrifice! What an amazing act of faith to build the altar, tie his son up, put him on top of the altar, and then to raise his hand with the knife to slaughter his son!
I was really challenged by this scene. I spent a long time with God the Father in prayer about my own lack of trust when the going gets tough in my life. I had to confront my own Isaacs( those things that I am tempted to put before God). This was very revealing to me because I realized that I still have many attachments that I am holding onto. I came up with lots of “buts, ifs, and what ifs”. I found myself bargaining with God again. Thanks to this artist and sacred scripture I was able to go a little deeper about my own lack of faith and trust in the Lord and what holds me back.
I found great consolation in gazing at the Abraham character depicted below in Mr. DiCianni’s mural and pondering those sacred words from Genesis 22:11-12, “Abraham, Abraham!” ” Yes, Lord,” he answered. “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger. ” Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”
I imagined the great relief Abraham must have felt when he was spared the agony of sacrificing Isaac. Although it took me awhile to see through God’s eyes, I was reminded of the many times God has provided for me in ways that I could never have imagined when I did trust him totally and kept my eyes on Him. With the help of the artist and scripture, I was able to recognize that I am called to be a woman of great faith just as Abraham was a man of great faith. I am called to trust just as much as he did when he proclaimed, “We will worship and then we will come back to you” to his servants on the mountain which could only be pointing to his great faith in God that God could and would raise his son from the dead even if God allowed him to be sacrificed.
Questions to Ponder
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What is your first reaction to the promises of God?
- How do you respond when you face a life situation that seems beyond what you can wrap your mind around?
- What are the “Isaacs“(those things you treasure dearly but might need to surrender) in your life?
- Do you trust God wholeheartedly?
- Do you see the correlation to Jesus Christ in the Abraham and Isaac story?
Abiding in the Word
I invite you to sit with Abraham and God the Father in any of the Genesis passages and have a heart to heart with them. Ask them to point you to Jesus …… When you are ready…..thank them for spending this time with you and bid them farewell…..
Let’s help one another by sharing in the comments how this reflection has helped you …….
“Taken from the The Hopeless Romantic: Falling in Love with God site of Patti Clement. www.patticlement.wordpress.com Used with Permission.”
The Hopeless Romantic: Falling in Love with God 