Seems like Abraham was pretty old to finally be leaving the nest. Most people fledge, emerge to face life on their own, somewhere between 18 and 25. But 75, come on. Doesn't that seem a little old to be striking it out for the first time? That just sounds odd to me.
Actually, you could look at it just the opposite. Abraham is having a mid-life crisis at 75 and wants to make the rest of his life count for something. I say mid-life because his father passed away at a whopping 205 and I don't mean lbs. Maybe Abe's looking around at all he's accomplished, achieved, acquired and said to himself, "I want to try my hand at something new." Or maybe he was thinking, "I want to travel and see the world."
75 seems like it's a little old to be starting anything new. At 75 people are generally slowing down these days, not thinking about some new career or accomplishing something as grandiose as starting a new nation. But that's what God called him to do, start a new nation in a new land that was already occupied. And I thought starting a new church in a new community at my age was a daunting task. A new nation? It just blows me away that Abraham leaves his security, his retirement and heads out on some unknown quest.
But God called and at age 75 Abraham pulled up stakes and headed off to God knows where. Some would call that stupidity. The Bible calls it faith. Not faith in himself, faith in God. What if ol' Abe would have said no or started out and then later headed back home? Would there have been an Isaac or Jacob or 12 tribes of Israel? How would history be different, how would our world look today if this ONE man would have said no to God?
When God calls, who is to say the ultimate impact of our response. We can't gaze into a crystal ball and know the full impact of our faithful response. God told Abraham he'd make him in a great nation, in fact that's what his name means. Yet God gave Abraham only one son, Isaac. And He gave Isaac two sons, Jacob and Esau. One son and two grandsons, so much for a great nation. But to Jacob God gave 12 sons. And the 12 sons became known as the 12 tribes of Israel. And the 12 tribes of Israel became the nation of Israel. And through the nation of Israel came Jesus. And through Jesus came the Family of God.
No call of God is insignificant. And God can call you at any age, from the small boy who offered his measly lunch to Jesus which fed thousands to Caleb conquering the land of Canaan at 85. What's God calling you to do right now? Your response could change the world or at least impact thousands. But that means taking a risk, stepping out on faith.
God, when you called me to start a new church, I was scared to death. It sounded really exciting but really scary. Now that I'm here, I'm even more scared and the terrain is rougher than I expected. But I'm staying with it. I'm following your lead. I'm trusting you to supply, to protect, to guide. I'm leaving the ultimate impact in your hands. I'm just trying to be faithful to your call.
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