Discuss Together In school, how good of a test taker were you? What types of tests came easier to you, and which ones were more difficult? Read Genesis 22:1-18 together. What disturbs or confuses you about this passage? What do you do when you come across a disturbing or confusing part of the Bible? The author of Genesis lets us know right at the beginning of this story that this is a test. Why is this significant? What does it mean for God to test us? What does Abraham’s response to God’s request (and throughout this story) reveal about his faith? What can we learn from his example? Ryan said, “Sometimes the picture I get with this story is Abraham walking up one side of the mountain with Isaac and the angel of the Lord walking up the other side with a ram. Life can feel that way, where we’re in an uphill battle on one side of the mountain not realizing God is coming up the other side with exactly what we need.” Can you relate to that quote? How? Ryan also said, “Provision often comes after obedience.” Has there been a time (or are you in a time right now) where you needed to obey first, not knowing how or in what way God would provide? How do you see this story foreshadowing or pointing to Jesus? How does Jesus’ provision at the cross help us think about what faith and obedience look like today? Is there a way you feel God nudging you to be obedient today? What is scary or uncertain about taking that faith step?