Faith is based on facts
The story of Abraham and Sarah teaches us a lot about our journey of faith as Christians even though God called Abraham out of Ur and all its idols nearly 4000 years ago.1
Faith is not based on feelings but it is based on facts—facts contained in the Word of God. God promised Abraham what He would do through him and for him if he would trust and obey Him. Often those new to the faith think that it is about them making promises to God—”God, if you help me and save me from this problem then I will commit my life to you!” How stupid is that! We are not saved by making promises to God on a whim and feelings but we are saved by believing God’s promises to us just like Abraham. Abraham responded by believing what God would do through him and for him and he left probably feeling quite overwhelmed. He responded by faith but his faith was immature because even though he left as God said, he didn’t leave his extended family behind as God instructed in Gen. 12:1 (NLT). Abraham would pay for that initial decision because both Terah and Lot would give him trouble later on.
God didn’t tell Abraham a whole lot at that point but He did give Abraham enough truth to go on and to believe so they could start their journey of faith and that is the same for us today as well. We all have enough to go on and start the journey.
Commitment
When we take the first steps of faith we are not necessarily very committed. Commitment comes as we learn more and more. We see in Abraham’s life that God was trying to see that commitment develop and indeed we did see it develop. For some though the commitment wanes and Satan delights to see that happen so commitment is often an area where Satan really concentrates. And I think commitment is where, towards the end of this post-Christian era, we are going to see Satan have some success.
Commitment is going to be hard to come by and that’s why Jesus spends quite a lot of space in encouraging Christians to persevere. Perseverance in our faith is commitment to that faith despite persecution and hardships. Sometimes it is just hanging in there to the end when we simply just get tired—when is the Lord going to return and end this show? He’s taking so long and the scoffers seem to be right.
Three kinds of people of faith in the Abraham story
There are three kinds of “people of faith” in the Abraham story when he leaves Ur. They are typified by three significant people who all initially leave with Abraham and Sarah in this story:
Intenders
There are those who intend to get there but never make it like Abraham’s father, Terah. Terah never made it to the Promised Land. He intended to go and he even set off but he got stuck in Haran and died there. He delayed Abraham’s journey to get to the Land.
Aspirers.
There are those who aspire to make it like Abraham’s nephew Lot and they succeed up to a point but they get worn out by the weeds and sins of life and they fail in their walk by faith. They find it hard to persevere until the end and they even look back like Lot’s wife. Lot got stuck in Sodom and it was only by God’s grace that he escaped but his descendants were the Moabites and the Ammonites–peoples who opposed Israel and displeased the Lord.
Overcomers
Then there are those like Abraham and Sarah who made it to the end even though they have trials and fail at times. Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. In other words, he trusted in God’s promises. They committed their lives and futures to God and obeyed what He commanded and persevered through thick and thin.
Tent and altar
There are many who intend to believe, start out but don’t complete the journey, and there a few who make it to the end. Only those who endure to the end and overcome trials and tribulations along the way will be saved.
Most of us don’t have to pull up the stumps and go to a strange country like Abraham but we will all have challenges in our journey of faith. Our faith muscle will be exercised. There might be problems with our health, problems at home, at work, in the church and we wonder why God permits these things. Maybe God doesn’t want you to get too settled—after all, we are sojourners just like Abraham.
Abraham was never settled. Wherever Abraham went we see his tent and his altar.2 The tent marked him as a stranger and journeyman who did not belong to this land. We don’t belong in this world either. The altar marked him as a citizen of heaven who worshipped the God in heaven. Tent and altar—separation from the world and dedication and commitment to the Lord. Whenever Abraham abandoned his tent and altar he got into trouble.
Travel light
In the end, we will need to live and travel light too. This place is only our temporary home so don’t get too used to it. Are you able to separate from the world and leave behind all that it has to offer? Abraham was a rich man but his greatest riches was his faith. The world system is in ruins but true believers have turned their backs on this world and have set their faces towards heaven and Jesus returning. Satan is going to trap many young players in the near future so step it up and exercise your faith muscle because the faith of many is going to fail. Faith grows as we face trials and tests and we keep travelling in the same direction-forward.
We will be living in tents
We should be a people in these end times like Abraham, a people who live in metaphorical tents but keep one eye on the altar–heaven and the approaching Day of the Lord. Then it will be so much easier to move when we need to move without earthly entanglements and to go where we are meant to go. You will know from this ministry that that ultimate safe place for the last half of the tribulation period is in southern Jordan.3 I believe there will be a time when God calls His people to move just like Abraham and the Israelites in Egypt on the wings of an eagle. Read more about it on this website and start here. Interestingly Psalm 91:10-11 implies that we will be living temporarily there also in tents protected by angels. Psalm 91, often referred to as the soldier’s psalm, tells us I believe of that protected place where believers will be protected under His wings4 for the last 1290 days before being raptured right at the end when the Lord returns. Read my blog “What will it be like in the safe place for 1290 days” to get more of an idea from Psalm 91.
Just two things to remember: tent and altar! Live light with one eye upwards!
