From the land of Ur...

So my wife and I just moved. We finally bought our first house – in Grapevine, where we’ve wanted to live since we left downtown Dallas. This move has sparked a couple of different thoughts… they don’t have much to do with one another, so I’ll post them separately.

First, moving in general – and this move in particular – makes me think of Abraham. Ol’ Abe had a very colorful life… lots of stuff happened to and around him. Occasionally we give him hard time. We make fun of some of his decisions… like the time he told folks that his wife was really his sister. I’m not sure that current technology is sophisticated enough to measure the hurt Janet would put on me if I tried something like that.

And since it worked so well that time, Abe did it again! Brilliant!!

Still, I have to give him a break. God asked some hard things of Abe. “Hey, you know that son you prayed for your whole life? That miracle kid I gave you when you were so old you dreamed about prunes? Well, I want you to go kill him for me.” I joke, but that’s a tough order. I’m not even a parent, and I can’t imagine being asked to do that.

The one I can fathom is when God told Abe to move. And that’s the story that popped into my head while my wife and I have started to settle into our new home. Moving is NOT fun. I’m not even talking about the heavy lifting… I’m wise enough to pay someone to do that for me now. I’m talking about putting everything you own in boxes; deciding which treasures to keep and which to toss; figuring out where everything goes; decorating; repairing; notifying everyone of your new address; getting an updated drivers license; the list goes on and on…

I’ve moved a lot over the years, but this one was different. This time, rather than renting, we were going to buy our house. Due to the insanity of my wife’s work schedule, it fell to me to take care of the majority of the details… in much the same way, I imagine Abraham took care of most of the details. I stayed in touch with the realtors, found the right lender, got the paperwork going, applied for the loan, scheduled meetings and signings and payments and home shields and homeowners insurance…

Still, something happened to Abe that most definitely did NOT happen to me. See, when God told Abe to move, he didn’t tell him where they were going. Abraham had to go tell his wife, “Hey Sarah, sweetie, honey, baby. That earth-colored smock really sets off your eyes! So… um… had a chat with God this morning, and guess what?? We’re moving! We’ll get all packed up, and get ready to head out… what? Where? You know, funny story!...”

You think it would hurt if I called Janet my sister?? Imagine what would happen if I told her we were moving, but that I didn’t know where! I just can’t wrap my brain around that. There’s a reason that the writer of Hebrews listed this first when he lauded Abe’s faith in chapter 11.

And where does that faith come from? It comes from a relationship with God. It’s not a series of rituals or a liturgy of texts. It’s not the right hermeneutic or a clever understanding of prophecy fulfilled. That kind of faith comes with a closeness, a living every day with God, developing a personal connection with the God who then is worthy of our trust, faith, and obedience.