Image from http://en.wikipedia.org, a painting by Jozsef Molnar
Take You Places
From Genesis 12: 1 Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
This passage tells us where faith begins. Hebrews 11:1 gives us a great definition: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." And our passage this week from Romans spoke of Abraham's place in the hall of fame of faith (4:17). Here's how faith began; God sought Abram (his name not yet changed) and said to him to leave his country and his family and the house of his father to seek a new land that God would show him. Already, this might have lost some of us. Moving for many is not in their plans. And it takes a lot to move. My first move that I can remember, for my parents moved out of a two room concrete house to the home he had purchased on another part of town, was to leave Kingsville, TX, for Houston. Had I had a say in it I would have said no. As pastor I have had to tell our daughters that we were moving, but thankfully, we have not moved as often as others; yet each move was difficult for them and I love and respect them for that. To move is a sacrifice of emotion, labor, time, and other things too numerous to add here. God continues the sales pitch, like a district superintendent offering a church in his/her district, "I will make of you a great nation." Okay, not like a DS; this is God. And God's promise to undertake this move and journey is one of a great blessing of becoming a nation. God continues, "I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing." How awesome is that? God's promise of a blessing, a "great name" and a blessing to others. "I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse." Now you're talking, go on... God's promise of blessing and protection goes a long way in helping convince one of the need to move. "And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." Had God said this to you, would you have been convinced? Faith is a grade above fear, for faith mobilizes and fear paralyzes.
Abraham took the first step of faith into what was unknown. My Dad whenever we had vacations or trips, would simply say, "Pack your suitcases." We would either get excited or angry and all of us would ask, "Where are we going?" The answer was usually, "Where did I say we were going?" Awww! "How many days" we would then ask, and we'd have our answer. Off we would go. Verse 4: "So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran." Not exactly the age to be moving in the opinion of some, though that seems younger and younger to me. The point was that Abram did take that first step of faith and trusted God to lead him where he needed to go. He did not leave alone, he took his wife Sarai with him, and more than likely servants. Add to that Lot and his family, and off they went into the land of faith.
Where has God asked you to go? Have you said yes or are you still thinking about it? Some of our journey requests have been the most difficult we could imagine, but remember we do not travel alone. We are asked to go to the beside of a dying loved one. Steps lead us there and we weep and mourn, but God sustains us and our loved ones. We are sometimes asked to go and share something not easy with loved ones, again, God goes with us and gives us the words. Sometimes faith and need lead us to the doctor's office and we hear what we don't want to hear, but again, we journey not alone. Faith is the essence of any journey of any length or duration. Faith is what sustains us and keeps us focused on where we are going. Faith is what we seek more of on our Lenten Journeys. And onward and upward we go, holding God's hand and trusting Him in all and for all things.
PRAYER: We ask that we might be like Abram and journey in faith with You to where You lead. Let us be a blessing to others by our walk with You. This we pray in Christ Jesus, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
