WHEN YOUR FAITH IS BEING TESTED
WHEN YOUR FAITH IS BEING TESTED
God, Can You Help Me? - Part 3 | August 1-2, 2026
Gabe Kolstad | @gabekolstad
¹ Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called. “Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.” ² “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.”
Genesis 22:1-2
1. Look BACK at God’s FAITHFULNESS
⁶ And Sarah declared, “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me.” ⁷ And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!”
– Genesis 21:6-7
2. Realize what’s at STAKE
What’s more, I am changing your name. It will no longer be Abram. Instead, you will be called Abraham, for you will be the father of many nations.
– Genesis 17:5
3. SPEAK and ACT in faith
⁵ “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.” … ⁸ “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.
– Genesis 22:5, 8
4. Look UP for the ANSWER
¹³ 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. ¹⁴ Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means “the LORD will provide”). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
– Genesis 22:13-14
Yahweh Yireh - “The LORD Will Provide”
FOR DISCUSSION:
Read Matthew 6:25-34 out loud. Then retell the passage in your own words. Then discuss the following questions:
What does this passage teach us about God?
What does this passage teach us about people?
If this is true, what should I do in response?
Who could I share this with?
