Stop, contemplate, worship

"Listen to this, Job ; Stand there, and discern the marvelous works of God." Job 37. 14

"Abraham rose up early in the morning and built his ass, and took with him two of his young men, and Isaac his son ; And he split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place which God had spoken to him. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place from afar. And Abraham said unto his young men : Stand ye here with the ass ; And I and the child will go that far, and we will worship, and we will come back to you." Genesis 22: 3-5

Elihu silently witnessed the deaf dialogue between Job and his three friends (Job 2-31). Then he intervenes vigorously (ch 32-34). He does not attempt to explain why God permitted Job to be tested ; But he reminds Job that God is powerful, righteous, merciful, patient, and educative ; That he is of infinite wisdom, as all creation shows. Thus he brings Job progressively before the Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that it contains : "Listen to this, Job; Stand there, and discern the marvelous works of God. Do you know how God has disposed them and how he makes the lightning of his cloud shine ?" (Job 37:14, 15). Listen, stop, observe, think ... Suffering has a tragically mysterious side, but contemplating creation opens up new horizons ... It is God's first testimony of himself (Rom 1:19, 20).

Abraham receives an order from God in total contradiction to morality, order of creation, paternal responsibility, natural feelings, divine promises ... "Take your son, your only one ... offer it as a holocaust on one of the mountains that I will tell thee" (Gen. 22: 2). Even if everything is incomprehensible and paradoxical, the only determining thing for Abraham is to go to the end in his obedience to God : "We will go that far, and we will worship" (second verse of the day).

This shows the true measure of Abraham's faith. When there is no longer any support for him, when everything seems to waver around him, he obeys God. The long three-day journey to Moriah was certainly a path of agony for Abraham, but his outcome was a triumph to the glory of God : Abraham became the father of all believers.

To "stand there" to contemplate the work of God, "to go that far" to worship is the life of faith !

Source (To pleasing the Lord)