Genesis 12:1-4 "Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee: (2) And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: (3) And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed. (4) So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran."
Imagine 3/4 of a century old. (Some of us do not have to imagine that part.)
But imagine being that age and suddenly being completely uprooted and taken to
a place you've never been and even more than that, you have no idea where
you're going. As a pastor, we are often moved from one congregation to another.
But even when that move is several states away, there is always someone that we
are familiar with. I suppose the closest thing that we could compare this to
would be a pastor being sent to a different country where the language and
customs are completely different. But with Abram, he was not a preacher. God
plucked him up from his familiar settings with his very own family and kinsmen
to go to a place where he had never been. The only destination that was given
to Abram was, "I'm taking you unto a land that I will shew thee." In
other words, God was saying "I'll let you know when you get there. But for
now, just follow me."
God was bringing Abram out of a land that was filled with idolatry. He was
removing him from his family, his kinsmen, the traditions and customs of his
homeland into a place where God had not shown him at this point. Yes, I
continue to stress this point as it shows us the depth of walking by faith and
not by sight. We know the complete story; therefore, we know that Abram was not
a perfect man. He made mistakes. He made wrong choices as well as good ones.
But there is something incredibly awesome about him in that we read, "So
Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him..." The New Testament
speaks of Abram (Abraham) as a man of great faith. We are told that he believed
God and it was counted to him as righteousness. But the point with Abram, as
well as Noah, is that they put prayers and "legs" to their faith.
They not only believed God, they obeyed Him. Their actions showed their deep
faith and commitment unto the Lord. James concluded, as he wrote about the
faith of Abraham, "You tell me about your faith and I will show you my
faith." See James 2:18. I'm asking myself many questions as I begin
this study of people in the Bible. How deep and strong is my faith?
1 I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
I can hear my Savior calling,
"Take thy cross and follow, follow Me."
2 I'll go with Him through the garden,
I'll go with Him through the garden,
I'll go with Him through the garden,
I'll go with Him, with Him all the way.
4 He will give me grace and glory,
He will give me grace and glory,
He will give me grace and glory,
and go with me, with me all the way.