Jewelers can use a variety of ways to tell if gold is real. In water, fake gold will float; real gold will sink. With a drop of liquid nitric acid, fake gold will turn green; real gold will not. Fake gold will be attracted by a magnet, real gold will not be. But how does God test our faith? Abraham is a classic illustration. We read in Genesis chapter 22 that God said to Abraham, “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Mariah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will show you.” This patriarch arose early the next morning to do what God had told him to do—to obey God even though he did not know how God would keep His promise to give him descendants as the stars in the sky. But he trusted God. One furrier has the slogan, “If you don’t know furs, know your furrier.” Even though Abraham did not know all the ways of God, he knew he could count on God to keep His promise. That truth is good for us as well. We cannot know how or when God will fulfill many of His promises to us; but like Job, we can say, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.”
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr.
Dr. Melvin E. Banks, Sr. is the founder and chairman of UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.). Under his direction, UMI has grown to be a leading publisher of Christian education resources for churches in the African American community. Read More
