Day 31: Believing beyond

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you … So Abram went, as the Lord had told him.” (Genesis 12:1, 4)

Abraham did not know where he was going, but he immediately obeyed, taking his wife, his nephew and all his wealth.

God continued to speak along the way, leading him and guiding him. And, in one of the conversations Abraham and God had, God assured Abraham that He would protect him and He would reward him. 

Abraham explained that none of that mattered unless he had a son to inherit all the wealth and blessing. And since he had no son, a servant would end up inheriting it all.

But in Genesis 15:4-5, God speaks to him again.

Then the word of the LORD came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars – if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”

Abraham wanted a son, a son of his own, to receive his inheritance in the midst of falling after God and being obedient to the call. But he still had concerns.

God heard the concern, but God had more for Abraham. God said: You will have a son, but that’s not the end. You’re concerned about one thing, but I have so much more than the little that you asked for. 

Abraham’s perspective needed to be changed. He had to allow God to show him more.

You will have so many descendants that you won’t be able to count them. That was God’s word. God was telling Abraham not to be limited by his one son to inherit his wealth, but God was expanding Abraham’s perspective to think about nations. 

It wasn’t just about his family. It was beyond. And the best part is that Abraham believed and trusted God once again. 

We can easily be so concerned about so many things in our lives.

But, as the Church, God has called us to the nations.

When God calls

There are three things that Abraham did to believe beyond. And I believe we should also do the same. 

When God calls:

1. Quickly obey

Abraham had the urgency to quickly obey God’s call to leave his country and his family. Do we delay our obedience at times? Or maybe we don’t fully obey because we don’t understand. 

2. Lift your eyes beyond your own concerns

Abraham obviously had concerns of his own. But, like Abraham, we need to allow God to show us more, to come out of our limited perspective so that we can see something bigger.

2. Be willing to believe

Abraham could have seen it and yet not believed, but he believed and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. (Genesis 15:6)

And that was the right response. 

I want to give you an example from my own life. God brought missions to my heart when I was 18 years old after I visited Mexico and Ecuador.

God put Spanish-speaking nations on my heart. And yet He began directing me here to Singapore.

I didn’t understand it, and I had actually no desire to live in Asia, but I decided to just trust God and follow where he was leading me. 

One day God spoke so clearly. He said: If I can give you a heart for Spanish-speaking people, I can give you a heart for anyone. 

So when my husband and I were just two weeks married, we moved here thinking we would only be here for a few years.

Little did I know that it would be this long. This year marks 23 years since we moved here, but even then, God is still not done. He continues to put more nations in my heart as well. 

We need to allow God to direct us, not us directing God. He gave the call to obedience and faith before He gave the covenant promised to Abraham.

So many times we want to see everything all at once, but God knows what He is doing and He calls us first to obey. The rest will follow in His time. 

There are people and nations that we are to bless, to touch. It is not that God doesn’t want to answer the concerns we have. Of course He does.

But He doesn’t stop there.

God’s heart is that none should perish. (2 Peter 3:9) 

His heart is for every nation, every tribe, every people, every language. Let’s ask Him to expand our perspective and our hearts. 

God’s heart is for the nations. Our hearts should be too. 

Let us pray.

God, let us be people who quickly obey Your voice when You speak to us, quickly obey the instructions that You give us. I pray that You would help us to lift up our eyes beyond our concerns, beyond our situations, beyond our circumstances, God, that we would see what You want to show us. 

Lord, I pray that we would believe You and take You at Your word. Would we believe that You want to use us to bless the nations. God help us to see. Help us to believe and help us to bless the nations. 

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Reflect

1. When you consider Abraham, which of his qualities do you think God prizes? Which of these qualities do you find most difficult to have? 

2. Why do you think God only revealed His plans to Abraham one step at a time? What promises did He give to Abraham to encourage his faith?

3. Which of God’s promises will you hide in your heart for the moment when God calls?

Pray

1. Pray for the conviction to live a life beyond material comfort and self-fulfilment, one that yearns to bless others with Gospel hope. “Lost people matter to God, and so they must matter to us.” (Keith Wright)

2. Pray against timidity and fear, training our eyes instead to focus on the truth of the Word and our hearts to draw strength from the promises of God. “Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.” (William Carey)

3. Pray that our heart will echo God’s heart: That none should perish. (2 Peter 3:9) Ask Him to expand our perspective to include every nation, every tribe, every people, every language. 

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