The Call to Follow

“Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.” — Genesis 12:1 Abram and Sarai will become key figures in the story of God’s covenant and his plan for salvation.When we first meet this couple, they do not have children (Genesis 11:30). In those days, if a couple could not have a child, that was usually seen as a sign that God had chosen not to bless them. But that was a mistaken notion.God called Abram to go to another land that God would show him. We aren’t told exactly why—but the initial step in this relationship came from God, who promised to bless Abram and to make him and Sarai into a great nation, and the next step was to follow where God would lead. But that could not have been easy.Abram was told to leave his country, his people, and his father’s household. All that he had known for providing a level of security and safety was to be left behind.Where would they go? God didn’t say, but he did promise to show them. Trusting in the call of God would place them on a journey that would totally change their lives.When we head out on a journey, we like to know where we are going and how we can get there safely. Yet when God calls, there is usually a step of faith involved. God calls us to put our trust in him and not in what we already have or know. And his faithfulness is a gift that can only be received by hands open to him. Lord, may we come to you with open hands and hearts. Help us to rely on you, knowing that all we have is ultimately from you. Amen.