Where Grace and Faith Meets- Abraham

Remember faith is two things from Hebrews 11:1,6

1) Having hope in things that are not seen

or having a heavenly perspective

 

and

 

2) Believing that God exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him 

 

But through faith, we still have to seek Him every day while waiting on Him. His grace will enable us to have faith to rest in Him with the day-to-day and the long-term. As we continue on, we need to remember these guidelines as we study about Abraham in Hebrews 11 verses 8-10

 

"By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God."

 

God's covenant with Abraham was established in three separate accounts:
 

1) Genesis 12:1-6- Abraham had to leave his home and go into a direction towards some land God was to give to him.

Abraham was called by God in Genesis 12:1

"Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you."

 



Abraham had to leave the land that he was living in, where his family was at, where he grew up and where everything he knew that was familiar. Talk about faith! The Bible states that he was supposed to go towards this land. No direction. No area. Just go towards this land that I will show you. I don't know about you but that must have taken a lot of faith to make that step but also tons of grace to travel day by day not knowing what direction he was going. He had to trust in the God who says what He will do. It must have been such a long journey but also a stepping stone for Abraham's faith in God   
 

2) Genesis 12:7-9; 13:14-18- God now shows the land in which Abraham and his descendants will get

 

When Abraham gets to the land for the first time, God says in Genesis 12:7

 

"To your descendants I will give this land.”

 

But that's not it, in this land are the Canaanites. Abraham was promised to get this land but there were strange people living there. And he had to live there among them. Scary! Talk about complete dependence on God but Abraham had faith to live day by day through God's grace because God said this was going to be his and his descendants.

 

Because of a famine in the land, Abraham goes to Egypt for a while, freaks out and lies and almost gets killed. He then comes back to "his" land and then there was arguing between Lot's, his brother's son, and his own men. They finally had to make the choice to separate. Lot picks the best and Abraham gets the ok part. So after all these times of trials and failures, God comes to Abraham in chapter 13 verse 14-17 and reminds him of His promise to Abraham

 

"for all the land which you see I give to you and your descendants forever."

 

Talk about grace! Abraham lacks trust in Egypt and goes through a valley with his nephew but God rebuilds his faith and tells him again His promise.

 



3) Genesis 15- Abraham was going to inherit this land and give it to his future heir from his own body

 

Time passes on, Abraham saves his nephew, goes through a raid, and talks to a few kings. But God then approaches Abraham again. God first affirms Abraham telling him that He is his shield and exceedingly great reward. He basically telling Abraham, hey I got your back and you and I have a good relationship. God restated this in a different way in the same chapter in verse 7 where God is the Lord who brought him out of Ur and gave this land to Abraham. Everything that Abraham had was because of God's grace and reassurance  during this time of waiting. 

 

But than Abraham brings up a good point, "I don't have any offspring. I have this guy over here who is my servant." Once again God reaffirms Abraham in verse 4

 

"This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body

shall be your heir."



And the first time since this covenant was made the scripture said that Abraham believed in the Lord and God accounted it to him for righteousness. I think the thing that I enjoy and hold onto with the most for Abraham's story is that God continuously affirmed Abraham over and over with His promise. He does the same with us. He enables us with His grace to have faith to wait on Him through His promises.

 

linkup with Jennifer Dukes Lee