Following God

“Now the Lord had said to Abram, Get thee out of thy country…so Abram departed…” – Genesis 12v1,4

Can you imagine what it would be like for God to appear and tell you that He wants you pick up house and move, and tell you only that He will tell you where to go? This is exactly what happened to Abram. God told him to leave his country and his family and just go. We read just a couple of verse later that Abram departed, as God has told him to do.

Abram showed tremendous faith here. He simply chose to follow God’s way instead of the convenient way. This sounds great for Abram, but what about us? Nothing is more dear to most of us that our home and our family. We hate the thought of giving them up, or doing anything to rock the boat of our comfort zone.

Following God is not always an easy thing to do. It does not always (although it very well may) involve a physical departure from home and family. Sometimes it simply means that as we follow God we may be called upon to depart from the ways of our family. Sometimes we must absent ourselves from their way of life to follow Christ. Abram knew the concept which Jesus would later relate in Luke 9v23 – “…if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me…”

In the midst of God’s instructions to Abram we read these words, “…and I will bless you…” We know from the history of Israel that the nation did not always appear humanly speaking to be blessed. In fact, we find the first trouble in the end of this very chapter. A great famine came upon the people. This reminds me that sometimes we must endure the famines to see the blessing of God. However, we can be assured that God fulfils His promise and we know that the blessing of God was on Abram and his family. God blesses obedience in His way and His timing. We must rest assured in that.

Lord, help me to be like Abram. Help me to place more importance on following you than on ANYTHING else!