“The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.’”
Genesis 12:1
King of Pop (Michael Jackson). Queen of Soul (Aretha Franklin). The G.O.A.T. (Michael Jordan). Father of Faith (Abraham).
Hands down! Abraham deserves this title more than anyone else in the Bible. God said, “Leave your country,” “Leave your family,” and go to a land that I will show you. What? That’s it! Not, “Go to Columbia,” “Go to Romania.” Not even “go somewhere in Asia.” Go to a land … that I will show you. Let’s examine the weight of this command for a moment.
The first thing we do when we prepare for travel is research the place, so we know what to expect when we arrive. Abraham had no GPS. No Google. No TalesMag or LonelyPlanet guide. No TravelAdvisor or YouTube travel videos. No Overseas Briefing Center (a resource diplomats use to research countries before they go there). Sheesh, Abraham didn’t even have a map! Even if Abraham had access to all of these resources, God didn’t tell him where he was going! Abraham had zero coordinates. Yet, he left everything that was familiar to him to be obedient.
What made Abraham leave all that is familiar to venture to a new land that is utterly unfamiliar? FAITH!
Over the next few weeks, we will explore the faith of Abraham and its application for us as expats. We will look at Abraham’s obedience, glean life lessons for our own journey, and gain a clear understanding of why Hebrews 11 credits Abraham as a man of great faith.
Points to Pack:
- Hebrews 11:8 (NIV) – By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”
- Share in the comments what factors have contributed to your faith in times past. What has made you be obedient to God in times of uncertainty?