BY FAITH, ABRAHAM…

⁸ By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹ By faith he 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. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. Hebrews 11:8-10

Abraham’s story is a fascinating account of one man’s journey into faith and obedience. Since he is the father of faith and the man God chose to be the recipient of the New Covenant in embryo, there are many lessons from his life that can help us understand our journey of faith in Jesus.

In the past few days, as I have journeyed with Abraham in the book of Genesis, two aspects of his life have emerged.

Abraham made many decisions which did not come from any interaction with God but they impacted directly on fulfilling God’s plan for his life. He left Ur of the Chaldees with his father, went to Haran and stayed there until his father died. This was his first step towards Canaan but he was not aware of God’s purpose for him at this point.

Then God told him to leave Haran but left Abraham to find the way under His silent direction. Abraham chose Canaan, not knowing that Canaan was to be his destination.

Abraham moved from place to place in Canaan, setting up altars and worshipping God as he went. His godly influence impacted the Canaanites and especially the Canaanite kings of the city states so that he became well known all over the country. By setting up altars, he was claiming the territory by faith for God.

Although Abraham made the choices to do as he did, apparently without clear instruction from God, his developing God-awareness allowed him to be open to divine guidance without being aware that he was being led by God.

How often we, too, make choices which, on hindsight, are exactly what God wanted us to do or where He planned for us to go without being told.

If we allow God-awareness to guide our thinking, we need never be afraid of making decisions without specific direction from the Holy Spirit. As God’s children, we are led by the Spirit if we are more concerned about God’s kingdom than about pandering to our flesh.

A mature son will not pester daddy about every tiny detail of his life because he knows that daddy trusts him to make wise decisions. Likewise, our Father trusts His mature children with everyday decisions and guides him along His chosen path as His children acknowledge Him in all their ways.

Abraham also has much to teach us about prayer. The Bible does not explain how God came to him on the many occasions interaction with Him are recorded. There is one record of the Lord appearing to him as “the angel of the Lord”. This phrase occurs often in the Old Testament. This “angel” speaks and acts as God and so, we assume that He is the second person of the Trinity, the pre-incarnate Jesus.

However, on this occasion, when the angel prophesied of Isaac’s birth and the imminent destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham took the cue  and “prayed” for his nephew, Lot’s deliverance by entering into a discussion with the Lord.

Why did God even want to share His decision to destroy the wicked cities of the plain with Abraham? It was all about relationship.

This was no “dear Lord Jesus, here’s my prayer list” kind of prayer. This was Abraham’s opportunity, through humble but bold negotiation with God for the protection of the righteous, to share in what God was about to do. Abraham’s real concern was for Lot and his family but his plea for the Lord to change his mind encompassed any other God-fearing people who we in danger of being destroyed.

I learn from this incident, and many other times when God held a conversation with Abraham, that prayer is so much more than a one-way string of “gives” and “do’s” that we daily present to Him.

I am also becoming wary of the daily “quiet time” that is so ingrained in us from the time of our new birth that we feel guilty if we miss out even one day. How often I have begun my day feeling bad because I have not had a quiet time because of circumstances. Does that mean that God feels so short-changed that, for spite He messes up the rest of my day?

What a tragically low view of our Father whose love for us is beyond measure and deeper than our wildest imagination or understanding. He is so entwined in the fabric of our lives that He wants much more than a hurried “quiet time” in the morning, only to be forgotten for the rest of the day.

Paul said, “Pray continually.” That means, stay in contact with God all day. Abraham shows us that we can converse, even negotiate with God in every detail of everyday life, from the most significant to the most mundane and unimportant details of being human.

In the end, it’s about cultivating a God-awareness that keeps us in God’s presence instead of our trying to bring Him to us when things go wrong or needs arise. It is surprising how much He talks to us of which we are unaware because we are so preoccupied with getting on with the business of living.

So, let’s meander through the Bible, stopping a moment here or there to ponder on the stories of people’s lives. Let’s tarry to smell the fragrance of a holy moment or to shrink from the words or actions that grate on our sensitive souls. Let’s slow down and learn from God’s great saints how to be in every way, God’s beloved sons and daughters.