OVER THE PAST few months, my articles have been based on encouragement resulting from personal experience that is supported by Scripture. I cannot explain to you why, but all I know is that this is where God has me right now and I have learnt to trust Him and follow His guidance even though I may not understand it.
Trusting God can be so hard at times and where the difficulty comes is when you have little control over what is going on, how it will end and it just seems His timing is never in sync with yours.
Has God ever asked you to do something that seemed impossible or crazy, yet you stepped out in faith, knowing that God spoke to you and it worked out and you were successful? Those outcomes build our faith, lead us to celebrate, reveals God is real and inspires us to share these amazing testimonies.
What happens, or I should ask, what is your response when He asks you to do something, you step out by faith and it doesn’t work out? What then? Does it mean you didn’t hear God or your faith was weak? Recently, I was faced with both scenarios.
In July I told readers about two things God asked me to do – go to Minnesota and to Nigeria. And despite not having the finances to fulfill these instructions, He miraculously came through and both trips were a great success. I rejoiced and celebrated these blessings and was quick to testify about His grace and goodness.
Four weeks ago I wrote an article titled Realities Of Studying where I shared that I was preparing to start a master’s programme in England this month (October).
On Monday, I contacted the university and deferred my studies for one year due to an inability to adequately finance my studies. What is interesting about this is that when God spoke to me in May about going to Minnesota and Nigeria, He also spoke to me about going and doing my master’s. So I was left with a question in my mind – why come through for Minnesota and Nigeria but not for England?
Last week, while speaking to a friend on the phone, God gave me a word of encouragement for my friend that answered the question that was lingering in my mind.
In the book of Genesis, we read of the story of Abraham and Sarah, his wife. Sarah was 90 and Abraham 99 when God told them He would give them a son. Just about a year later, Sarah gave birth to their promised son Isaac, which brought the old couple joy and laughter.
Sometime later God told Abraham to take his son and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. Abraham took his son up the mountain, tied him up, placed him on the altar on top the wood, took his knife and was about to sacrifice his son when the Lord stopped him and said: “Don’t do anything to him because you have just demonstrated that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only unique one, from me . . . I will certainly bless you.” Abraham looked up and behind him was a ram, which he then sacrificed.
What Abraham didn’t know was that God was testing him to see if he would sacrifice all, withhold nothing and fully obey and trust Him and not lean on his own understanding. It was when Abraham was about to fulfill the instruction that God changed the end point and provided a ram.
This meant so much to me because I believe God also tested me to see if I would obey, trust in Him and sacrifice all and sacrifice I did because over the past four months, I turned down many opportunities because my heart and plans were towards leaving to pursue my master’s and it would have been unprincipled to accept them when I had planned to leave shortly afterwards. Isaiah 55:8 is indeed true when it says: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.
If you too followed His every command, trusted in Him and sacrificed all, maybe you were being tested as well. Right now I am asking God one question and you may want to do the same. Where is my ram?
• Corey Worrell, a former Commonwealth youth ambassador, is director of C2J Foundation Inc., a project-based NGO focusing on social development.