Devotion 7 – Abraham’s Faith

 

Abraham stands in the Bible as the preeminent example of a man who lived by faith. He is also given a high position of respect in three major world faiths - Islam, Judaism and Christianity, and was extolled in Scripture as “the father of all who believe” (Rom.4:11). Thus, he was commonly called the Father of Faith.

 

1)    Living by Faith means surrendering our Future to God Completely

 

Gen.12:1-2 – “Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.”

 

Heb.11:8 - “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.” 

 

Abraham lived in the Ur of the Chaldees, known as Southern Iraq today. From the records of archaeologists, we know that it was a prosperous city and a centre of mathematics, astronomy, commerce, and philosophy. It was the dreamland of many people in Abraham’s time.

 

When God called him, by faith, Abraham left the thriving city and set on a pilgrimage, trusting God to fulfil His promise. However, Abraham did not know where he was going, how he would get there and how long it would take to reach there. All he knew was that God had called him, period. Everything else was a mystery.

 

If we truly want to do God’s will, sometimes we will find ourselves exactly where Abraham was -setting out on a journey that did not seem to make sense from the world’s point of view. How would he ever explain his decision to leave the comfort of Ur for the uncertainty of the desert? The only certainty he had was that God had called him and he obeyed.

 

The NIV version says he “obeyed and went.”  Everything else that happened flowed from this basic decision. God called; he obeyed and stepped out in faith even though there were no guarantees on his own personal future. Living by faith means stepping out for God and leaving the outcome to him. It is no guarantee of a good life and good success. We may have those blessings or we may not.

 

His faith was expressed in his obedience to the call. Abraham was saved by faith alone but the faith that saved him showed itself to be genuine by his obedience. Our obedience does not save us, but it does demonstrate our genuine saving faith. Inward faith always produces outward evidence, it enables us to obey even when it is costly or seems unreasonable to the natural mind.

 

 

2)    Living by Faith means Resting in God’s Promises.

 

Heb.11:9 - “By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.” 

 

If we are honest with ourselves, there is within all of us a natural desire for permanence, for security, to settle down, to have ownership of something.  Yet, Abraham lived in tents as he travelled.  Tents speak of impermanence, the possibility of moving on at any moment, especially, when we live on land we do not personally own. That was Abraham. In Gen.12:9, we read “Abram journeyed on…”. He did not own anything in the Promised Land. God had promised to give him the land; yet he lived like a stranger in a foreign country, year after year he scratched out an existence in tents, always on the move with no permanent roots, living as nomads and pilgrims, and resting in God’s promises.

 

This idea is radical as it challenges the ideologies of our time which focus on security. Our culture celebrates nice great houses, big cars and luxurious material possession. We are groomed to pursue higher standards of living, more comfortable lifestyle and every voice around us pushes us to settle down, save as much as we can, achieve financial independent as early as possible, etc, etc. Is giving up all these for obedience worth it?

 

We see him always on the move, packing and unpacking, from Shechem, Bethel, Egypt, Negev, Bethel again, the hill country above Sodom, Hebron, Mamre, Negev again, Gerar, Beersheba. Never taking possession, Abraham put up with all the inconvenience. Hundreds of years would pass before the promise was completely fulfilled. Abraham never saw it happen. Neither did Isaac or Jacob. Abraham never owned a single piece of Canaan, except for the burial plot he bought for Sarah.

 

Was Abraham in the will of God? Yes. Was he right to leave Ur? Yes. Was he doing what God wanted him to do? Yes. Why, then, was he living in tents? Because God’s timetable and time frame is entirely different from ours. There is a big difference between those two perspectives. God in His sovereignty works across the generations to accomplish his purposes.

 

 

3)    Living by Faith means Fixing our eyes on Heaven Continually.

 

Heb.11:10 - “For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.” 

 

What gives Abraham the strength to endure and be steadfast in His walk of faith? By saying that Abraham was “looking forward” to a city, it means that he never found what he was looking for in this life.  Abraham was looking for a city with “foundations,” a place with security and permanence that could not be found in a tent. He was looking for a city designed and built by God, a heavenly one (Heb.11:16); something better (Heb.11:40); Mount Zion, the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God (Heb.12:22); a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Heb.12:28); an enduring city (Heb.13:14). Why? Because he knew that all earthly cities will eventually crumble to dust.

 

Once, we had a chance to visit Israel. I was excited as we were told we could walk the street where Jesus once walked. When we were there, I realized that it was not exactly true. We were actually walking thirty to seventy-five feet above where Jesus walked. According to an archaeological source, Jerusalem was destroyed and rebuilt at least forty-seven times in the last 3,500 years. That is the way it is with all earthly cities. Nothing built by man lasts forever. Abraham was wise looking for a city built and designed by God which will truly last forever.

 

Revelation 21 describes that city as “the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God” (v.2). In his vision, John saw a city of breath-taking beauty, shining with the glory of God, “its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal” (v.11).

 

Christians have always looked to the New Jerusalem as the final abode for the people of God, the place where we will spend eternity together in the presence of the Lord. Heaven is a city. It is a real place filled with real people. That is the city Abraham was looking for when he left Ur of the Chaldees. The Scripture likewise instruct us to “set our minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth” (Col.3:2).

 

Following God’s will does not guarantee worldly success. Abraham had his heart set on heaven, and that empowered him to leave the beautiful city of Ur, walk away from his security of success, live in tents until the end of his life and eventually die without seeing all that God had promised. He died without receiving all that God had promised to him on this earth. Abraham knew he was going to heaven; he will be rewarded with a better city where God Himself is the designer and builder, and that changed his whole perspective on life.

 

Following God will sometimes lead us to make decisions that those around us simply will not understand. When that happens, all we can do is to explain things as best we can, and then set off to obey God’s call, leaving the results in his hands. Like Abraham of old, our search for God’s will may lead us out of your comfort zone into the exciting arena of living by faith. Along the way, we will discover that we can indeed survive without absolute certainty about what tomorrow will bring. We may even learn to enjoy the journey of living on the edge.

 

I once come across the phrase - “Died at Twenty-five, Buried at Seventy-five”. It simply means too many people die at age twenty-five but are not buried until they are seventy-five. They waste their best years in trivial pursuits, all the while missing out on the plan and purposes of God in their life. It is not how long we live that matters, but what we do with the years we are given that truly matters.