I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. Genesis 12:2
Abram had grown up in the land of Ur, where he as well as his father’s house worshipped idols. But then, one day the Lord visited Abram and told him to leave all of that behind and to go to a land that He would show him. Abram knew nothing of that land and probably not much more than nothing about the one true God, since he was raised worshipping false gods. It would truly be a step of faith for Abram to forsake the false religion of his family and his upbringing and follow a God whom he had just met.
The next verse is astounding when you look at it in context. All Abram has to do is trust a God whom he cannot see and obey this one command by faith — not just say he believes in his new-found God, but take a step of faith and obedience. And if he does? God pronounces a quadruple blessing over Abram if he believes and obeys Him. God tells him that He is going to make him into a great nation. This is a seventy-five-year-old man with a barren wife and God is speaking of his future in terms that seem utterly impossible. Then, the Lord continues with the promise of all He is going to do for Abram; the Lord is going to bless him and make his name great and cause him to be a blessing to others.
But, none of this has happened yet. At the moment Abram is just Abram, and his wife is still barren — no great nation, no great name, no blessed or being a blessing. Nothing but promises from God. Abram is being called by God to take a step of faith, a journey of faith, a leap of faith. Instead of trusting in everything he had depended on his entire life, Abram is expected to take God at His word and put all of his faith and trust in Him.
So, what does Abram do? He obeys the Lord, takes his wife and his nephew, Lot and sets off for the land of Canaan. Anyone watching him leave may have thought he had taken leave of his senses; why would you give up everything you know just based on the word of the Lord? After all, up until now, Abram only has God’s word, His promises; nothing tangible.
Don’t wait until God has done what He said He will do before doing what He has given you to do. Plant those seeds of faith and obedience and, at the right time, you will reap the harvest of the fulfillment of God’s promises to you. You just do your part — you can rest assured the Lord will always do His!
God’s plans for your life and His promises to you are all good, but there are two parties involved in the accomplishment of His plans and the realization of His promises — there is the Lord and then there is you. In order for God’s will to be done in your life, you must be willing to trust and obey Him; to walk by faith.
The Word of God is full of good news because it is God’s word to you, if you are willing, like Abram, to step out in faith and obey, not even knowing what lies ahead but trusting in God’s good plan for you. It will mean letting go of some things that are familiar and walking by faith toward God’s will. It will be great and you will be blessed. That’s what God will do!