Abram wakes up on Monday morning feeling a little uneasy. Maybe it was a bad dream. Maybe he just didn't get the sleep he needed. Maybe he's coming down with something. Who knows. He ritualistically walks into the kitchen, pours himself a cup of coffee and tosses a couple of slices of bread into the toaster. He sits down with his Bible and begins to read through a few Psalms for daily guidance, but he just can't escape the uneasy feeling he awoke with. What's going on? He begins to pray, but only hears silence. He meditates on God and what He has been doing in his life, his career, his family; but Abram just can't seem to shake the feeling that something is just not right. The sun is peeking through the window. He finishes his toast. The coffee is cold. His heart is cold. Why?
He gets into his car, leans back, adjusts his seat, takes a deep breath and heads for work. He begins to feel a little more comfortable about his day, after all, Abram loves his job and has reached a point in his career that he feels very good about. He makes a very good income and has acquired a level of success that affords him and his family a more comfortable living than he ever imagined. God has been good and Abram knows that well.
Abram works just outside of his hometown, and as he approaches the exit to his office building, he passes a sign that he has seen a thousand times. But this morning, something strikes him to the core of his being. "Leaving Haranburg". The uneasiness returns. His heart races, as well as his mind. His hands start to sweat as he grips the steering wheel, and before he knows it, Abram is pulling off to the side of the road. "Leaving Haranburg...Leaving Haranburg" He repeats this in his mind over and over. What does this mean? "God, what are you up to? Why did this common sign, that I pass each morning, cut into the normality of my commute? Am I losing it? Am I cracking up? God speak to me!?" And God does speak. Does he ever!
"Abram, sell everything that you can't get into this Land Cruiser. Sell your home and everything else that you can't take with you, and turn in your resignation today. Leave your friends, family, get your wife and children, get on I-45 and start driving. I'll show you where you are going." I'm sorry...WHAT?
This sounds a little different with a modern perspective, doesn't it? A little scary? A little crazy? Unrealistic? Irresponsible? But that was the lot (pun intended!) that Abram faced in Genesis 12. Abram left it all to follow the God he believed in and trusted. He gave up much of his wealth, family and security, to follow the uncertainty. The unknown. The ridiculous. The senseless. But despite all this, he remained faithful and followed the promises of God. He walked the walk. Relied on faith.
Our ways are not His ways. Our plans are not His plans. Does God still lead us into uncertain, and sometime cathodic situations? Just look around you. Take an inventory of your life and see what kinds of things have happened in your life. The pieces may fit together today, but more than likely, they didn't at one time. And if you haven't been tested like Abram was, the chances are that you will be someday. You will because His ways are not our ways. His plans are not our plans.
When we teach children the story of Abram (Abraham), let us be sure that we focus on the similarities of modern day. God still leads us where we don't want to go from time to time. He still brings us through uncomfortable situations because His ways are not our ways. His plans are not our plans. These are uncertain times that we live in, and our children will be facing many uneasy stages of life. They may never have to make radical life changes like God led Abram to make, but what matters most is that we are building the foundations of faith that they will be able to stand on. As teachers, as parents, our job is it instill the values of faith and what it really means to trust in a God that is real. No matter what sacrifices and challenges our children face, they need to know deep within the essence of their soul, that God will show them what they need to do. Where they need to go.
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