It's Time To Rise

February 3, 2025

Rise Up: The Mountain of Sacrifice and Provision

Throughout the Bible, we see repeated calls for God’s people to rise. Over and over again, God challenges His people to step up in faith, to trust Him, and to embrace His plans. We are once again in a moment where God is calling us to rise.

One of the key patterns we find in Scripture is the significance of mountains. Mountains are not just geographical locations but places of encounter, testing, revelation, and transformation. God often meets His people on mountains in moments of desperation, worship, and decision.

Looking to the Mountain

King David understood this when he wrote in Psalm 121:

“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:1-2)

Mountains in the Bible are places of:

  • God’s power and presence
  • Encounter and authority
  • Protection and refuge
  • Testing and transformation
  • Worship, intimacy, and revelation
  • The meeting of heaven and earth

Abraham’s Mountain: A Call to Sacrifice

This week, we focus on one of the most profound mountain encounters in the Bible—Abraham’s journey up Mount Moriah in Genesis 22. Before we dive into this story, we need to understand some context.

Abraham and Sarah had waited decades for the fulfillment of God’s promise. They had longed for a child, and in their old age, God gave them Isaac—their miracle son. The promise of a great nation rested on Isaac. Yet, after years of joy and watching Isaac grow, Abraham faced his greatest test.

The Call to Sacrifice

“Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” (Genesis 22:2)

This is a difficult passage. Abraham and Sarah were real people who had walked through years of waiting and longing. Now, God was asking Abraham to give up the very thing he had prayed for.

But Abraham obeyed. Early the next morning, he set out with Isaac. He did not hesitate, argue, or delay. He trusted God, even when the request seemed impossible.

Rising Requires Sacrifice

To rise into God’s calling often means leaving things behind. There are things in our lives—dreams, relationships, habits, comforts—that God may ask us to surrender. These sacrifices can be painful, but they are necessary for growth.

  • Are we willing to surrender what we love for the sake of God’s plan?
  • Are we willing to lay down our own desires to embrace His will?
  • Are we willing to trust God even when we don’t understand?

Jesus did not sugarcoat the cost of following Him:

“Simply put, if you’re not willing to take what is dearest to you, whether plans or people, and kiss it goodbye, you can’t be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33, MSG)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” To follow Jesus is to embrace a life of surrender. To rise means to let go of anything that holds us back.

The Mountain of Provision

Abraham climbed the mountain in obedience, prepared to sacrifice his son. But at the last moment, God intervened.

“Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket.” (Genesis 22:12-13)

God provided. Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh—The Lord Will Provide.

When we trust God and rise in obedience, He provides exactly what we need. Often, we don’t see the provision until we step out in faith. The sacrifice may seem too great, the cost too high, but God is faithful.

  • Abraham had no idea how things would work out, but he obeyed.
  • The journey required trust, but God provided at the right moment.
  • God never calls us to sacrifice without also preparing a provision.

Our Call to Rise

What mountain is God calling you to climb in 2025? Where is He asking you to step out in faith? Like Abraham, we are invited to rise—to trust, to surrender, and to experience God’s provision.

The process may be unclear. We may not have all the details. But faith isn’t about knowing every step—it’s about trusting the One who leads us.

Paul wrote in Romans 12:1-2:

“I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”

Worship is not just songs we sing; it’s the life we live in surrender to God. To truly follow Jesus is to live a life of sacrifice and trust in His provision.

Reflection Questions

  1. What is God asking you to sacrifice in this season?
  2. How can you trust God’s provision, even when the path ahead is unclear?
  3. Are there things in your life that are holding you back from fully rising into God’s calling?
  4. How can you develop a deeper faith like Abraham, willing to obey without knowing every detail?
  5. What does “Yahweh-Yireh” mean to you personally, and how have you seen God provide in your life?

Let’s embrace the mountains God is calling us to climb. Let’s trust in His provision, even when we can’t see the way ahead. The mountain may be a place of sacrifice, but it is also a place of divine provision. On the mountain of the Lord, it will be provided.

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