In Genesis 12:1-9 we met Abram. God calls out to him and tells Abram to leave his land, relatives, and everything familiar to go to a land He will show him. God says to Abram that He will bless him and make him into a great nation, that the nations would be blessed through him, that those who curse him will be cursed and those who bless him will be blessed.
Can you imagine? What could be going through Abram’s mind? What would you do if you heard God speaking to you, telling you to leave everything you know to go where He leads, and that all the world will be blessed through you? God was literally asking Abram to leave everything. He wasn’t moving down the road, he was leaving and would never see his family again. He was called to leave his house, wealth, relatives, and everything comfortable. God was telling Abram to trust Him. Abram would have to trust Him because he didn’t know where he was going, God was leading him. He would be completely reliant on God. He would have to trust God. What would you do?
Abram chose to obey God and left all he knew. He chose to trust God. Look at your life, how can you learn to completely trust God? Why trust God? God is the Maker of the universe, He knows our thoughts and understands them. He forgives us despite the fact we fail Him daily. How could we not want to trust Him?
Psalms 139:1-3, “Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away.”
Psalm 22:4, “Our fathers trusted in You; they trusted, and You rescued them.”
Psalm 31:14, “But I trust in You, Lord; I say, “You are my God.””
Psalm 37:5, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust Him and He will act,”
Relying on God is hard because we want to rely on ourselves. We aren’t willing to step down from the throne of our hearts. We want to be in control. But when we try to then we fail. We mess up. Sometimes it’s hard to trust God in hard times, but sometimes bad things are allowed so we can learn, other times simply because of our wicked world. We need to trust in God.
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Discussion....
How can we, like Abram, trust fully in God?
What do you think you would have done in his situation? This is before they had phones or anything like that so he couldn't call his family or make any contact with old friends.
How do we rely fully on God?
How much do you trust God?
Oh yes, it would have been a HUGE test of Abram's trust in God. If there had been some who had gone before him who could tell him, "It will be totally worth it; you'll see," that might have made it even a smidgen easier for him. I think this is just one way (along with the whole telephone/internet thing) that we would have it a lot easier than Abram if God asked us to move to a foreign land. It's kind of like the second verse you shared from the Psalms. We have the testimonies of those who have gone before us to ensure us that yes; it is utterly worth it and more to trust God when He asks us to make huge changes in our lives. Thanks Sarah! X)
ReplyDeleteYes, that's true. And I mean we both live in different countries! (Which is cool when you think about it). Abram didn't know what he was getting himself into. Now we know it's worth it. It's still hard (John 16:33), Jesus didn't say it was going to get easy. But we can remember that it's worth it. In the long run then that is what matters. We just keep to keep looking up, focusing our eyes on Jesus.
DeleteAmen. He has overcome the world! :)
DeleteI love the verse John 16:33. The last part says, "Be courageous! I have conquered the world." He has conquered and overcome the world :)
DeleteYes, I think that verse demonstrates that tough reality and victory in Christ *do* coexist. May our lives demonstrate it, too.
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