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”…So Abram went (Gen. 12:1,4)
The faith of our Father Abraham never ceases to amaze me. The story is embarrassingly simple. God says “Go,” and without any further deliberation or resistance, he went. Who does that?
When Moses was called into action, he at least took a little time for negotiation. “Whom shall I say is sending me?” he asked. It was then that God was revealed as the great I AM (Ex. 3:14). Abram, on the other hand, doesn’t even get that much. All that he receives is the mysterious promise of “I WILL.””
Is that enough for you?
What does it take for you to receive the call of God? What more would you need before you are prepared to willingly surrender your schedule and pack up your plans? What other details would you require before taking your next step? What are your terms of engagement?
St. Augustine offers us additional food for thought on the matter:
The right thing to do, brothers and sisters, is to believe God before he pays up anything, because just as he cannot possibly lie, so he cannot deceive. For he is God. That’s how our ancestors believed him. That’s how Abraham believed him. There’s a faith for you that really deserves to be admired and made widely known. He had received nothing from him, and he believed his promise. We do not yet believe him, though we have already received so much. Was Abraham ever in a position to say to him, “I will believe you, because you promised me that and paid up?” No, he believed from the very first command given, without having received anything else at all. (St. Augustine, Sermon 113A. 10)
This Lent, I am asking God to lead me in the direction of such faith.
God of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac, Jacob and Jesus, we confess that we are enamored with our own sense of security. Can we trust you with a way that is not of our choosing? Forgive us, God, in those occasions that we have waited for you to prove yourself yet again for the sake of our confidence. Free us for joyful obedience, walking with Christ, through the power of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.
Whatever It Takes,
Darren
image via Mukuko Studio
