sound of a soft breath

Listen to Chapter 21 & 22:
&
or Read "Trusted God"

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied.
Then God said, "Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you."

I can't imagine ever being able to pass this test. Why would God ask him to do this? Perhaps we can never have a perfect explanation but in Hebrews Chapter 11 it says

By faith, Abraham, at the time of testing, offered Isaac back to God. Acting in faith, he was as ready to return the promised son, his only son, as he had been to receive him-- and this after he had already been told, "Your descendants shall come from Isaac." Abraham figured that if God wanted to, he could raise the dead. In a sense, that's what happened when he received Isaac back, alive from off the altar. [The Message Translation]

Abraham simply trusted God. He remembered and believed everything God had promised. God had told him that his descendants would come from Isaac and Isaac had no children yet. Abraham believed God would resolve this most recent request from God with his previous promise. He understood that God the creator was not limited like he was, but could do anything, even raise Isaac from the dead. By God's mercy and grace he stopped Abraham from even having to kill his only son and provided a ram as a substitution. Perhaps even more meaning and purpose is given to this account if it is viewed in the context of what God was willing to do with His Son for all humankind.