“…I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.” Isaiah 51:2
Dear Ones:
It is very easy in our world to lose our point of reference for the answers to our existence, purpose, and power. For Israel as a nation it was no different. And so, to her the admonition would come: “Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that gave birth to you…” (Is. 51:2) Why? It was in God’s singular dealings with Abraham, and Sarah, that He would reveal to the world His ways, purpose, and certainty of promise.
That which we discover first of all in His dealings with Abraham concerns the matter of revelation. In Hebrews 11, we read the phrase: “By faith, when Abraham was called…” (v.8) In Genesis 12, we have a slight elaboration on this matter of being “called:” “….Now the Lord HAD SAID unto Abram…” (v.1) The first thing that ALWAYS occurs in God’s dealings with us, whether we recognize it or not, is that He speaks, or reveals Himself. He takes the initiative to draw out our hearts to Him, that we should seek and find Him. The second manner in which He deals with us is to “show us,” or reveal to us, something of His purpose. The Lord told Abram: “…Get thee…unto a land that I WILL SHOW thee: and I will make of thee a great nation.” (Gen. 12:1,2) His purpose was to bless, in Abraham, “…all families of the earth.” (v.3) What an extraordinary declaration of “good news,” even though Abraham would not be able to comprehend the scope of God’s intentions. Lastly, God deals with him concerning the matter of Abraham’s faith in God’s faithfulness. We discover in the study of Abraham’s life that it took time for him to become the man of faith that God intended him to be. He failed several times. But, there would come a day when he would, “…against hope believe in hope, that he might become the father of many nations; according to that which was spoken.” (Romans 4:18) Abraham and Sarah both would come to the place in mind and heart where they, “…judged Him faithful who had promised.” God did indeed prove to them and to us that, “Faithful is He who calls you who also will do it.” (1 Thess. 5:24)
There is one more very important aspect of God’s dealings with Abraham, that would be essential, if God would make of him to be the man of faith that he would become. He must do the work in solitude, in aloneness with Abraham. God’s admonition to Abraham, “Walk before Me and be perfect,” (Gen. 17:1) reveals this to us. Abraham’s devotion to God was first and foremost a solitary matter. Though surrounded with others, and in the midst of changing circumstances, it would be Abraham’s quiet, and singular, devotion to Christ, that would set him apart as that one by whom the Lord would accomplish His great design of blessing the world.
Dear Father, though we are like Abraham, imperfect and needing to learn Your ways, we thank You that you patiently deal with us, revealing Yourself to us, drawing out our hearts unto You. Give us, in the solitude of singular devotion to Christ, to be those who, like Abraham and Sarah, “…judge You to BE faithful who has promised,” and who will accomplish Your blessed will, for the blessing of many. We thank Thee in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad