January 8th, 26: Trusting God When the Unthinkable Is Asked: Abraham, Isaac, and Jehovah Jireh

Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible podcast! In today’s episode, Hunter guides us through Genesis 20–22 and Luke 8, continuing our one-year journey through the Bible. But this isn’t just about reading Scripture—it’s about letting the living Word transform us from the inside out. As we witness the faith and testing of Abraham, the miraculous provision of God, and the powerful teachings and healings of Jesus, we’re invited to see the goodness and faithfulness of God in fresh ways.

Hunter reflects deeply on Abraham’s incredible journey—his obedience, trust, and understanding of God’s unique character as a provider, not a demander of senseless sacrifice. We’re reminded that God meets us in our darkest and most barren places, and He is not like the other gods of the world. Instead, He is a God of life, love, and redemption. The episode closes with heartfelt prayers, seeking God’s guidance, provision, and peace for ourselves, our families, and the world.

Join us as we open our hearts to be changed by the Word, walking together in faith, hope, and the knowledge that we are deeply loved.

TODAY'S DEVOTION:

Unthinkable. Something unthinkable is being asked of Abraham. He is being asked to offer his one and only son, the son that he loves, as a sacrifice on the mountain. It is a test of obedience that, at first glance, seems unimaginable. But perhaps, in Abraham’s world, it was not altogether unthinkable. The cultures surrounding him, and indeed, cultures throughout history, have at times required the blood of a human to appease or manipulate their gods. Abraham would have known these stories and expectations. But he also knew something else—the God who called him, who promised him a son even in extreme old age, who reminded him of blessings as countless as the stars. This God who walked with Abraham in his darkest, most barren moments was not like any of the others.

Abraham had learned to walk with and trust God, and he believed that this God was not bloodthirsty or capricious, nor distant or angry and waiting to pounce. Abraham believed God was good—the God who meets us in our need, our shame, our barren places, the God who provides. On that mountain, God makes Himself known as Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides. He is not a God who requires us to atone by our own blood, or by the blood of those we love. No, God has a different way.

Instead, it is He who provides the offering. The Father does not kill His Son—instead, the Son offers Himself, and is killed by humanity. Through His offering, He overcomes evil, wins the victory for us, conquering sin and darkness, and making a way for us to live. Abraham reasoned that, even if Isaac died, God was able to revive him—because Abraham knew, at the core, that God is good and can be trusted with our very lives.

That knowledge—the character of God—changes everything. God comes to us in our lowest, most hopeless places, and brings resurrection, new life. On Mount Moriah, and then on the cross, God Himself provides what we cannot. He gives us victory, healing, hope.

My prayer today is that my eyes would open to see as Abraham saw: the character of our God who provides, who is trustworthy, who is good. That I would walk with Him and know the freedom, the life, and the joy of being loved and provided for by Him. And that is my prayer for my family—for my wife, my daughters, and my son. And that is my prayer for you. May it be so.