Genesis 22:1-19

"Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. 'Abraham!' God called.
'Yes,' he replied. 'Here I am.'
'Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.'" v1-2
What in the world is God doing? Have you ever asked that question? Why is God letting this happen is often our response when we are dealing with a tough situation. But it is in this time that God is testing our faith and trust in Him. God tested Abraham, not to trip him and watch him fall, but to deepen his capacity to obey, and thus to develop his character. Just as fire refines ore to extract precious metals, God refines us through difficult circumstances. When we are tested we can complain, or we can try to see how God is stretching us to develop our character.

Obeying God is often a struggle because it may mean giving up something we truly want. We should not expect our obedience to God to be easy or to come naturally.

"Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son." v13
Notice the parallel between the ram offered on the altar as a substitute for Issac and Christ offered on the cross as a substitute for us. Whereas God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son, God did not spare his own Son, Jesus, from dying on the cross. If Jesus had lived, the rest of humankind would have died. God sent his only Son to die for us so that we could be spared from the eternal death we deserve and instead receive eternal life.

Taken for the NLT Life Application Study Bible