A few days ago, I experimented with a new computer program called “Photo collage” and today I made the above image from some of my favorite pictures. I have so many pictures to choose from that it took me almost two hours before I was satisfied with the result. I hope you like it; I DO! I entitled it “A simple Test” because that is exactly what it is.
I thought, I will do a simple Bible search on “The test”, but that produced thousands of results, most of which involved testimony. I tried using just the word “test”, but again the results were just too numerous. After awhile, I just gave up and said to myself: Gary, do this the old fashioned way- think! I did, and after awhile I recalled the following passage from the book of Genesis…
Genesis 22 ( World English Bible )
1 It happened after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”
2 He said, “Now take your son, your only son, whom you love, even Isaac, and go into the land of Moriah. Offer him there for a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will tell you of.”
3 Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son. He split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went to the place of which God had told him.
4 On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place far off.
5 Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go yonder. We will worship, and come back to you.”
6 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. He took in his hand the fire and the knife. They both went together.
7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, “My father?” He said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Here is the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
8 Abraham said, “God will provide himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they both went together.
9 They came to the place which God had told him of. Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood.
10 Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to kill his son.
11 The angel of Yahweh called to him out of the sky, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He said, “Here I am.”
12 He said, “Don’t lay your hand on the boy, neither do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”
13 Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son.
14 Abraham called the name of that place Yahweh Will Provide. As it is said to this day, “On Yahweh’s mountain, it will be provided.”
15 The angel of Yahweh called to Abraham a second time out of the sky,
16 and said, “I have sworn by myself, says Yahweh, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,
17 that I will bless you greatly, and I will multiply your seed greatly like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore. Your seed will possess the gate of his enemies.
18 In your seed will all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Now, the photo collage test was enjoyable, but not every test that we take in life will be. Remember school; some tests were easy and some would just drive you crazy. But, that was school; you prepared and your efforts at memory ( or just taking tests ) were evaluated. Real life is different; you are presented with a test and then you learn from it. In Abraham’s case, God asked him something extremely difficult and Abraham passed ( with flying colors, I might add ). Those of us who are young may not appreciate how difficult this test was, because with youth comes possibility. As we age, there are fewer and fewer possibilities; simply put- we just don’t have much time left. Abraham and Sarah were very, very old and according to human reasoning could simply not have another child. Yet, Abraham obeyed God because of his faith and trust in the Almighty. I pray that if God puts a difficult test to you that you ( like Abraham ) will pass.
Having said all this, you may have wondered which of the above pictures in the collage is my favorite. Well, I like them all, but that picture of heaven in the top-center is the best of the group.