A Prayer at the Foot of the Mountain

Father, you called Abraham by name and he said, here I am. We say it too, though with less courage. Here we are. We do not know yet what you will ask.

Some of us are climbing a mountain today, carrying wood and fire and a knife, with no idea how this ends. You have asked for something we love. Give us the reasoning Abraham had, that you are able to raise the dead, and that nothing surrendered to you is lost.

We confess that we make idols of your gifts. Our children, our work, our health, our plans. We would rather keep them than trust you with them. Loosen our hands.

Thank you that on Moriah you stopped the knife, and on Calvary you did not. Thank you for the Lamb you provided. Let us come down the mountain together, as Abraham and Isaac did, with the ram on the altar and the promise intact. Through Jesus Christ, your Son, your only Son, whom you love. Amen.