Back in the Old Testament we see one of the most practical
and profound examples of faith. Abraham,
but at the time we are speaking still known as Abram was living with his wife
Sarai in Haran because he and his father Terah decided to move there. Why they left their home in Ur to set out for
Canaan which was much further south we don’t know but rather than continuing
the journey, when they reached Haran, the little clan just stopped there. Nothing is said of God telling them to go to
Canaan or stop in Haran, they simply went there. This though is where the story gets quite
interesting because when Abram was 75 and his father 155 years old Abram was
told by God to leave Haran and go on to Canaan.
Now how this came to him we cannot say; it may have been through a dream
or a vision or just a sense but however it came to him, the message was
clear. Abram was to leave Haran and go
to Canaan and there God would make his name great and everyone in the world
would be blessed through him. That of
course was a monster of a word from God but again we don’t know how it came to
Him nor how believable it seemed for Him or anyone else. All we know is that Abram packed his things
and brought his wife and nephew Lot and all his stuff as well as his employees
down to Canaan. Terah, his father, did
not go however. Why didn’t he? Perhaps
he didn’t have faith in what Abram said was a word from God. Maybe he was tired and just wanted to relax. He did live another fifty years in Haran
though so it isn’t like he was at death’s door.
Faith is a practical thing. For Abram it was the quite concrete and
common-place act of moving. For you it
could be quitting your job, giving more to the church, starting a cell group in
your home, changing majors, building a friendship, stopping a habit, forgiving
a sin, rejecting a sinful behavior, carving out time to study the Bible,
praying over a sick friend, taking up the piano, giving away your TV,
organizing a mission trip, starting a conversation about your faith, inviting
neighbors over for dinner so they can hang out with a real Christian, saying
“no” to an opportunity because you realize God is telling you “no”. Abram had to leave his father in Haran when
he wouldn’t go and move to a place filled with danger and corruption but he
went because by faith he knew God wanted him to go.
Faith is the practical act of doing what has become
clear God wants you to do. The Holy
Spirit can speak to you through a dream, through the Bible, through a Christian
friend or just a clear sense of something but as it starts to become obvious to
you that God is pushing you into an act, it is the most right and perfect thing
for you to do, both for you and those impacted by you doing the faith act. Your hesitancy only makes your relationship
with God muddied and inhibits the blessing God has for those affected by your
act of faith. The longer you wait to do
what God has said, the less you know anything of God and His ways, the more
hard and unproductive your life becomes and the less you do any good for
anyone. In fact you may hurt greatly those
you love by stopping at the point of faith.
We would never have had a Savior if Abram had stayed in Haran, but when
He acted in faith he started the same sort of thing you too can start. He kicked off a chain of events that resulted
in God blessing Abram’s world. Do the
faith act and you will know God like never before and those you are afraid you
will hurt by your obedience to Christ will be blessed beyond your dreams. You are Abraham and you are Barnabas and you
are Ruth. Read your Bible daily and each
time you know God has told you to do something act in faith and do it. Do it and don’t hesitate. Do the faith.
