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. And 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. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” 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. Genesis 12:1-4
The Immediate Obedience of Abram
Abram, who would later be renamed Abraham, was a remarkable individual. I mean, imagine how we would respond today. God tells him to leave his home and everything he knows and go to a land “that I will show you.” Abram doesn’t even get to know where he is headed when he packs up his household and leave all that is familiar. All he has is an instruction and a promise of blessing. And, he goes! He does exactly what the Lord told him to.
Age Does Not Disqualify
Abram is seventy-five years old when he is called by God for the first time. Seventy-five! We tend to think of seventy-five as near the end of our lives, but Abram’s story is just starting. Now, we have to grant that in that time, in general, people lived a lot longer than they do now. Abram was in the middle of his life at this point. Even that is impressive. At middle age, we tend to be settled and established. I don’t know how many of us would uproot our whole lives in our late thirties or forties to go somewhere, not knowing where we were taking our families. This is extreme and immediate obedience, and God loves that kind of response from His people.
The Blessing
God promises blessings on Abram, his descendants, and the entire world through his family. Wow! That is an amazing blessing, but it is also very vague. God doesn’t lay out a timeline or specific steps or even how Abram will be blessed. In fact, Abram doesn’t even see the fulfillment of God’s promise during his long lifetime. However, God does not forget His promise. It all comes true!
The Ultimate Promise Fulfillment
All the families of the earth are blessed through the line of Abram. Jesus, the Messiah, the descendant of Abram, brings the blessing of forgiveness for our sins and reconciliation to God the Father and makes this blessing available to the families of the entire world.
ACTION STEP:
I don’t know about any of you, but I want all the blessings that God has for me! I want to increase my willingness to obey immediately no matter what God asks of me. Is there anything God has been asking you to do that you have been dragging your feet on? Maybe God did not say to pack up and move. Perhaps He told you to forgive someone, show kindness to an enemy, help the poor, etc. Take action today on what you have already been told to do.
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PRAYER:
Dear God, Help us to learn from the example of Abram, obeying immediately when God calls us to do something. Prompt our hearts to see the areas we need to obey in today. Give us courage to respond. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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