THE CALL OF ABRAM: OUT OF UR

Anyone who has moved knows the stress of packing up, saying goodbye to loved ones, and then transitioning into a new city, neighborhood, and home. It is one thing to move to a new city; how much harder to move to a new country!

The call of Abram was no small thing. It was a radical call to leave country, family, and friends for a foreign land. Earlier, Abram’s family had already moved from Ur to Haran. Now God called Abram to travel hundreds of miles farther to the land of Canaan. This was a time of decision. Abram could remain comfortable in Haran with his own people and customs, or he could take a step of faith in God’s call. God had promised Abram land, descendants, and great blessing—but all of this was still promise, not yet reality.

In fact, Scripture tells us that there were clear threats to God’s promises. Sarai was infertile (11:30) and the land of promise was already occupied. Moreover, a famine soon forced Abram out of the Promised Land into Egypt. There, the promise of descendants was further jeopardized by Pharaoh. Would God’s word hold true?

The early picture of Abram is a mixed one. On the one hand, as Hebrews 11 tells us, Abram was a man of great faith who believed in God’s promises, left his old ways, and embarked on a new journey in response to God’s call, erecting altars and worshiping the Lord as he journeyed (Heb. 11:8–10). Yet Abram was also a man who faltered, particularly in his dealing with Sarai in Egypt. Yet despite Abram’s weak faith at this point, God’s treatment of Pharaoh demonstrates that God was still in control. The promises of God were secure in the Lord’s hands.

APPLY THE WORD

What things might God be calling you to turn from in order that your faithful obedience might bring blessing? Make a list of such activities or habits, and commit to leaving them behind to follow God’s leading. Then ask God to make that choice a blessing for yourself and others.

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