Happy summer to those in the Northern Hemisphere!
We are enjoying cooler temperatures as we experience our first winter here; daytime highs are hitting 28C and there is often a cool breeze. The days are still full of sunshine, giving us an opportunity to enjoy our surroundings without dissolving in a puddle of sweat.
We were able to be involved in the season of Ramadan a couple of months ago and now this weekend our friends here and those around the world will celebrate the most important holiday in Islam. It is the remembrance of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to what God had asked of him. Animals will be sacrificed on the altar of remembrance and celebrations will last for days.
This is a great time to greet neighbours and friends with an “Eid Mubarak,” our equivalent of Merry Christmas, and look for opportunities to engage in spiritual conversations about what this holiday means to them and share that because of Jesus, we no longer need an animal sacrifice.
This holiday is a poignant reminder of what Jesus is still asking of us.
Can we also spend some time remembering Abraham, willing to sacrifice his own son? We are still called to that same level of obedience! May our times of reflection cause us to question our own level of obedience to walk as Jesus did. He laid down His very life, how much are we willing to put on the altar in front of Him? These questions can be scary and deep but as the Lord has been teaching us lately, it’s time to pray like David and ask the Lord to “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.”
The Passion Translation puts it so beautifully and we leave it with you today and encourage you to pray through it as you come before Lord:
“God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting way—the path that brings me back to you.”
Psalms 139:23-24 TPT
