The Cost of Obedience, The Peace of Surrender
“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.”
— Genesis 22:1-3 (KJV)
A young woman in Lagos has been offered a lucrative contract—one that would solve her family’s financial struggles for years. But the terms require her to compromise her integrity in small, justifiable ways. She lies awake at night, calculating what obedience will cost her. She is facing what Abraham faced on that mountain: the collision between God’s command and everything her heart holds dear.
God asked Abraham to surrender his only son—the child of promise, the heir through whom God’s covenant would be fulfilled. This was not a test of belief alone; it was a test of obedience when obedience felt like death. Abraham could have reasoned with God. He could have delayed, negotiated, or found a loophole. Instead, “Abraham rose up early in the morning.” He did not wait for his courage to grow or for the cost to diminish. He obeyed immediately, knowing the price was everything.
Notice what Abraham did not do: he did not ask God for a discount or a revised plan. He did not consult with Sarah or his servants about whether this was really God’s voice. The Scripture tells us Abraham’s obedience was swift—not because he felt no pain, but because he had already settled the deeper question: “Whom do I trust more—God or my own security?”
The writer of Hebrews tells us that “Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac… accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead” (Hebrews 11:17-19). Abraham obeyed not because the command made sense, but because he trusted God’s character more than he trusted his own understanding.
We live in a nation where obedience is costly. A Christian employer may lose clients by refusing to cheat customers. A young person may lose peer acceptance by refusing to participate in gossip or sexual compromise. A business owner may watch profits decline because she will not pay bribes. These costs are real. They cut deep.
But Jesus said, “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:39). The paradox of the kingdom is that loss in obedience always precedes gain in God’s economy. Abraham lost nothing—God gave him his son back, multiplied his descendants, and established a covenant that echoes through eternity.
Your obedience today—though it may cost you comfort, acceptance, or profit—is being observed and honored by a God who loses nothing and forgets nothing. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
What are you holding so tightly that you have never asked God if He wants you to let it go? Step into obedience before you feel ready—that is where you will discover that God is faithful.
Lord, give me the courage of Abraham to obey You immediately, even when obedience costs me dearly.