Awaken The Dawn

AWAKEN THE DAWN!

consistently call on God to control my life in His own inimitable way, gives God reason to reward me openly! Secret #3. Prayer Is Tested. We are told that “God tempted Abraham.” 11 It actually means God tested this man of faith. Abraham discovered that those who professed faith in God were often subjected to a difficult test. Abraham had a son whom God had provided him in his old age; this delightful boy was surely the answer to his prayers. Then God asked him to sacrifice this son, his only true heir. Only God could have conceived this soul-wrenching experiment. It has been said, “whatever you cherish most will either be an idol or an offering.” Such precious pos- sessions often come only because of long seasons of prayer. Abraham’s unquestioning response is one of the classic cases of obedience to God in the Bible: “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac.” 12 In prayer, God plumbs the depths of a person’s soul. The purpose of testing is not to antagonize but to temper the soul. Like heated iron dipped repeatedly in shockingly cold water, the tested prayer warrior is steel hardened to glorify his Maker. Hence, He challenges His people ardu- ously, and often, His people respond remarkably. As with Abraham, he knew that Isaac was his only son, but he was also aware of God’s will for his son. Abraham’s conclu- sion, therefore, was that God would need to raise him from the dead after He was done with him. My first pastorate in Spokane, Washington was a difficult six years for a struggling, neophyte minister. Nevertheless, I came to care a great deal for the city of 66