The story of Abram/Abraham has long been a favorite of mine because, like Abram, I once experienced the call of God to leave my home and family to start a new life in a new place. Like Abram, I learned along the way to trust God more and more completely. I learned that when we go with God, the journey itself is grace.
God told Abram to “Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). With that Abram packed up and hit the road – no definite destination, no GPS, no reservations at any Holiday Inns along the way. He just headed out with his wife, his nephew, and all their possessions. Grace was found, not in the things we depend upon today as we travel, but upon the reality of God’s presence with him all along the way.
This should lead us to ask ourselves, “Where has God called me to go or to be in my life and how has God been present with me along the way?” As we ponder this question, we may find ourselves surprised at how often we encountered grace along the way, how we might even now be experiencing grace wherever we are in our faith journey. God present with us is the grace that keeps us going even when the going gets tough.
For Abram, God’s grace showed up in Egypt when Abram tried to pass off his wife Sarai as his sister. She was so beautiful that he feared that if she was known as his wife someone might kill him in order to have her. God allowed Abram to move forward with this unwise plan of action and only stepped in when the result threatened to mess up God’s ultimate plan for Abram’s life. We can see grace in God letting Abram make a decision and then learn from his mistakes. We can also see grace in the way God extricated Abram and Sarai from a sticky and dangerous situation. How has God’s grace shown up in your life in a similar way?
God’s grace also showed up for Abram when it became obvious that his and Lot’s livestock and servants had become so numerous that they could no longer travel together. As I read this part of the story, I have to wonder, was that the real reason for the split or had Lot’s life goals become too different from those Abram was pursuing through God’s leading? As it turns out, Lot chose to settle down in a land that looked promising as a permanent home while Abram continued the life of a nomad. God’s grace came to Abram again at this point as 13:14-17 show us: “After Lot separated from him, the Lord said to Abram, ‘From the place where you are standing, look up and gaze to the north, south, east, and west, because all the land that you see I give you and your descendants forever. I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth…. Stand up and walk around through the length and breadth of the land because I am giving it to you.”
Lot chose to pursue his own comfort by settling down. Abram chose to keep going wherever God led – and that choice was blessed by God’s grace. When in your life have you decided to choose your own comfort rather than God’s path? What did you discover was lacking when you made that choice? When did you choose to follow God even when it meant personal discomfort? How did you experience God’s grace through that decision?
All of these stories about Abram’s life journey are summed up in the words of grace that God speaks over Abram even before he takes the first step. God sends Abram into the unknown with this blessing:
“I will bless those who bless you,
Those who curse you I will curse;
All the families of the earth
will be blessed because of you.”
That blessing is offered to each of us as well when we set out on life’s journey in the presence of God. We become a blessing to all we meet along the way. God’s grace shines through us and lights the way for others who are on their own life’s journey.
When we look at the journey itself as a gift of grace, life takes on new meaning and new purpose. God with us is truly the only grace we need.
Rev. Joyce Day
If you would like to view past editions of Grace for the Journey, follow this link: https://sounddistrictnc.org/category/grace-for-the-journey/