READ:
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran (Genesis 12:1-4).
REFLECT:
When we use the word “unsettling,” we generally mean something that makes us feel a little uncomfortable, that feeling that something just isn’t right. In Abram’s case, God’s call was literally to become un-settled — to leave his country, his people and his father’s household. Really, and significantly, the only thing we even know about Abram before this dramatic call to leave home and family is that his family had settled — put down roots — in Harran (Gen. 11:31) as they were moving from Ur to Canaan.
And then God said “Go.”
That would be a very unsettling moment, indeed, but God also made some important promises:
-
- I will show you a new land
- I will make you a great nation
- I will bless you
- I will make your name great
- I will bless those who bless you
- I will curse those who curse you
God said “go” (v. 1), so Abram went (v. 4). In between, we don’t know how many tense conversations, tears, prayers, arguments, or soul-searches happened. We only know that Abram went and God kept His promises. As He always does.
REACT:
What promise of God is especially dear to you these days? Is there someone you know who needs to hear it too? Today is a good day to bless someone with a word of hope.
