In the book of the Beginnings, God places a direct call to a guy named Abraham when he was 75 years old, gives him specific instructions to leave everything behind. However, other than a promise that through him He will start a nation which will become a blessing to the entire world, fails to provide details as to either the destination or the stops along the way (Genesis 12).
Curiously, this seemed to be quite enough for Abraham to follow through on God's simple instructions:
Get out of there!, or:
Leave!, or:
Out!
Seventy-five year old?!! No spring chicken by any, ancient or modern standard. Living in the society that worships youth and discards anything older than a year, I can't help but wonder what took God so long? Why did He choose to skip over and seemingly waste all those valuable years of youthful strength when Abraham could have been of such great service to Him? Why not start with an Eagle Scout instead of an AARP member?
We have no written record that Abraham argued, questioned, demanded explanation or anything of the sort you and I may hurl at the Almighty when presented with such unreasonable proposition. Nothing of that nature. We don't know if Mr. and Mrs. Abraham had a late night discussion over this either. All we know is that they did as they were told (and brought their nephew along with them?).
Mr. and Mrs. Abraham didn't have any children which was no small pain and embarrassment in the patriarchal culture they lived in. In today's world many couples chose to remain childless, either though contraception or abortion, in order to pursue their personal dreams and lifestyle of freedom and luxury not accessible to those who are raising a family. But, such was not Abraham's time at all. No children meant you are a dried up twig, ready to be cut off and burned. No hope. No future. No legacy. Life squandered. Wealth wasted. Dead end. Off the cliff.
Perhaps the very presence of this constant pain and the burden of shame helped them realize that, despite their roots and their wealth, there was really nothing of true value and significance holding them down. This might have made it just a tad easier to pack their Samsonites and say their good-byes to their friends and family at their send away party. There were raised eyebrows there, I am sure, and the questions, like,
What about your 401K?, and
Will you have life insurance?, and so on and so forth.
Everyone, of course, knew that Mr. and Mrs. Abraham have definitely lost their minds and gone off the deep and. And who could blame them, for they are without an heir, you know. Of course, the party guests didn't realize that attached to the word about leaving was also an invitation to a baby shower.
So, Mr. and Mrs. Abraham set out. Hope. Fear. Thrill of adventure. Battles to fight. Allegiances to refuse (Genesis 14). More one-on-one talks with the Almighty. More promises. More waiting.
Lord Jesus, how different is Your way and Your timing for our lives from the clock and the methods we employ. We are in such a rush, so eager to accomplish so much for You. But, You work from eternity for eternity, with purpose and leisure that escape our grasp. For, when something is as important as carrying out the will of the Almighty, we feel the sense of urgency, even panic to do it. And when we rest in Your sovereignty, we fall asleep and lose the sense of importance in walking in Your footsteps. Help us Lord to carry out Your will with the same purposefulness and leisure commanded by Your Spirit, resisting both the panic and the snooze button of our fleshly nature. For Your glory both now and forever, for the blessing of all around us, both far and near. Amen.
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