Scripture:

“One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.

 

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. He took his wife, Sarai, his nephew Lot, and all his wealth—his livestock and all the people he had taken into his household at Haran—and headed for the land of Canaan. When they arrived in Canaan, Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.

 

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, ‘I will give this land to your descendants.’ And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him. After that, Abram traveled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshiped the Lord.  Then Abram continued traveling south by stages toward the Negev.” Genesis 11:31-32, 12:1-9 (NLT)

 

Perspective:

God called Abram out of his current location to the place God was leading him. Abram’s father, Terah, started the journey toward the land of Canaan, but settled in Haran. Maybe the allure of that civilization seemed more appealing than moving forward to a new land. Yet, God’s promise to Abram was not limited by his “pitstop” in Haran. The surprising part of the story is that Abram left his homeland – the place where he had roots. He took his family and departed for a land where he had never been. Surely there was anxiety and uncertainty about going on an adventure without knowing what was ahead. Yet, God kept showing up on his journey to remind Abram that he was walking along the right path. Abram set out to follow God to find a blessing, but God blessed Abram as he journeyed. Abram had to move to take hold of God’s promise.

 

Changing our location can happen externally or internally. God may be calling you to uproot your life and follow Him to a new place. Yet, more often than not, God may have to “move” us to position us for us to receive the fulfillment of His promise. Moving is never fun. We have to purge and plan in order to take only the things that are necessary with us. When God calls and directs us, we usually want it to not cost us anything. Abram had to leave the life he had always known to be able to see God’s promise come to fruition in his life. What has to move in your life to position you to take hold of God’s promises? There was something about Abram starting the journey toward Canaan. He didn’t know all of the answers before he started. We also can’t let our lack of understanding of the details deter us from our obedience. God’s greatest gift to you just may be on the other side of where you are standing and may require you to move to get there.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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About Hona Amer

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