THE LIGHT OF VISION (4)

“Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I WILL SHOW YOU” – Genesis 12:1b

Abraham’s Call to a Walk of Faith with God was inspired and ignited by the LIGHT of VISION: “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” (Gen.12:1). The Story of the Life of Abram (meaning ‘father’) who was re-named Abraham (meaning ‘father of nations’) is a marvelous testimony to the partnership of Faith and Vision at work! At God’s instruction, augmented by the Light of Vision – “I will SHOW you” – Abraham, at seventy-five years old, left his familiar terrain of family, friends, and folks, for a place of future blessings: “So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him...” (v.4a).

The Lord called Abraham and gave him promises of greatness, blessings, and global prosperity, which planted seeds of Faith in him (vv.2-3). Note the Five “I WILLs”: “I WILL MAKE you a GREAT nation; I WILL BLESS you; [I WILL] MAKE your name GREAT... I WILL BLESS those who bless you; and I WILL CURSE him who curses you...”. Faith comes by hearing God’s words, including His promises (Rom.10:17). However, a Vision of God’s invisible and seemingly impossible promises was required to sustain Abraham’s faith and ensure it stood firm; hence the Lord him Abraham with Vision-inspiring words: “a land that I will SHOW you” (v.1). Hebrews 11:8 says, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”

In essence, God met Abraham and told him He would bless him in several ways and make him a blessing to the nations if he chose to follow Him. First Abraham had to leave where he was living and go to where Gid would show him. How many of us today would pack up family and everything they own and go to God-only-knows-where because we believe God told us to do so? Abraham had to give up his beloved “...country, kindred, father’s house...” for a future that was yet to be seen (vv.1-4). He had to give up some other unnecessary weights – including Lot, his nephew – in order to get going with God. Lot represented “lust” in Abraham’s life. Later, Abraham had to sacrifice his son, Isaac – the child of promise – with the strong conviction that “God is able to raise him up even from the dead” (Heb.11:17-19).

We learn from Abraham’s story, lessons of Courageous Faith and Vision. We are to follow God even if the path isn’t completely clear. We must trust His Promises in the face of adversity. By His Covenant of Grace and the Light of Vision, we can expect God to do great things, even impossible things in our lives. Abraham walked in Faith by the Light of Vision. We can!