On the Move in a New Day

 

Monday, January 2, 2023

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.  I will make you into a great nation.  I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.  All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”  So Abram departed as the Lord had instructed, and Lot went with him.  Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.  Genesis 12:1-4

It was by faith that Abraham obeyed when God called him to leave home and go to another land that God would give him as his inheritance.  He went without knowing where he was going.  And even when he reached the land God promised him, he lived there by faith—for he was like a foreigner, living in tents.  And so did Isaac and Jacob, who inherited the same promise.  Abraham was confidently looking forward to a city with eternal foundations, a city designed and built by God.  Hebrews 11:8-10

There’s an old comprehension test that asks the question:  Which of these is different from the others?  Our text qualifies for that kind of understanding:

A new day, new year, new calling of God to an old man.

“New” days and callings suggest things opening, budding, sprouting…all on the way-up.  An old man’s new things are aches, bumps, bruises he’d never noticed, and energy on the way-down – more the discovery of what doesn’t work anymore, or that which hurts too much to try again.  Appointments at the doctor’s office are on the rise; playing third base for the Yankees is out!

Abraham was my age (75) when God whispered in his ear to pack his bags, pull up the tent-stakes, and hit the road.  It was harder back then…transportation issues alone might have killed whatever ambition the old man had left.  Either riding a mule or walking through the desert was no picnic.  But the greatest consideration was leaving the life he’d built, and all the familiar sights and routines of home to become a newbie-stranger in a foreign land.  It would be like spending 7½ decades in rural Georgia, then moving to Boston.  Had I been Abraham I might have questioned the voice that spoke in Haran that day.

And perhaps he did ask God to elaborate.  I’ll have to remember to ask Abe that when I meet up with him some day.   Even if it was a longer discussion than Scripture records, the focus isn’t on how long it took Abraham to say Yes, Lord!  Rather it is for us to take note of his faith that went home and told Sarai they were picking up and moving.  “Where?” said his bride.  “I don’t know,” said Abe.  We can imagine the rest of the conversation, with Mrs. Abraham trying to find out if her husband had been at the camel juice again.  Could be it was a very silent trip to Canaan-land.

For You Today  

It’s not an easy thing to change; it’s incredibly difficult when you’ve been settled your whole life.  It’s monumental when you’re asked to turn the fruit-basket upside down and throw caution to the wind…especially so as you get older, and caution becomes your way of life. 

But God honors faith…that which steps forward into His promises.  So, whether you’re a teenager, or into your eighth-decade, live and rest in God’s Word.  And act by the faith which knows:

Until God says Move Out you stay put.  

When God says Move out don’t just sit there!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day!

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There are about 2,000 devotional posts and 400 sermons in the Rocky Road Devotions library.  To dig deeper on today’s topic, explore some of these: 

  Three-part series:  Yield – Part One   Yield – Part Two   Yield – Part Three

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Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©