Will You Obey God’s Call?
When God called Abraham to leave his homeland, his family, and his previous life, the call shook Abraham’s life to the core. Obviously, moving to a new land and living among a strange people was a huge change, but that change was not what shook Abraham up the most. The call that Abraham received would contain multiple issues and ramifications. The most unsettling and most difficult part of God’s call would be acknowledging who "calls the shots." Up until this point in Abraham’s life, he lived under the direction of his father, Terah. Genesis 11 speaks of Terah dying at the age of 205. Genesis 12 begins by stating that the LORD told Abraham to go. Whether it was a day, a month, or a year later, we see the changing of one chapter to another in Abraham’s life. God is calling Abraham to put his trust and his confidence in Him.
By the way, this is the nature of God’s call to all people, at all times, and in all circumstances. Times might differ. Actions might vary. The intensity of problems may fluctuate, but God calls all of us to trust Him and to walk in His way. Consider Hebrews 11:9-10: "By faith he [Abraham] made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.” Abraham believed that God could and would deliver on His promises. Abraham had faith that God offered a solid and secure future, while this world offered chaos and uncertainty.
In Abraham’s life, we see that he not only heard and understood the call of God, he also obeyed God’s call. Abraham stepped out and built his life on the solid foundation of God’s faithfulness. If there is a God, He is the only thing that matters. If there is no God, nothing has foundations and nothing will last. If there is a God, my relationship to Him is the only truly important thing. It is one thing to wrestle with the idea that God is supreme. It is one thing to ponder God’s greatness. However, none of those thoughts mean anything until we act on obeying God and making Him supreme in our lives. This will fundamentally affect our thinking, our actions, and our values. Everything!
Obeying the call of God is challenging. We live in a world that makes promises that it cannot keep. Yet, despite our doubts and reservations, we grudgingly and foolishly trust in what we know is uncertain at best and disastrous at worst. I believe the reason we are duped and cheated is that we are drawn to what we can see or have seen. The lure of the familiar (even though we know it is fraught with catastrophe) can seem better than trusting in something we are unfamiliar with. The call of God is to abandon the lies and seductions of this world. God calls us to trust Him — the “unseen” and often mysterious God. Therein lies much of our problem. We are spooked and afraid to walk by faith in God. Even though we have seen God deliver us again and again, we fear the journey of faithful trusting. Hebrews 11:6 exhorts and challenges us to engage in this faith-filled way of living: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
In the timeline of Abraham’s life, we read about God calling Abraham to follow Him in many ways. Four major challenges and sacrifices stand out. God shook up Abraham’s life with 4 major tests. Test #1— God called Abraham to leave his culture. Test #2 — God called Abraham to leave his family. Test #3 — God called Abraham to leave what he thought was economic security. Test #4 — God called Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. In all of these things, God was calling Abraham to see that these things were not the foundation for his life. God was saying: Trust me, follow my way. Today, God calls us. Have you heard the call? Are you willing to hear and obey the call? Join me next week as we talk about walking by faith as we hear and obey God’s call. Keep looking up!