Father & Faith – Genesis 12:1-3
“The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3 NIV
“Hello!”
There is a pattern developing here….. 
….I mean, If God the creator is real – and I believe that He is. And if He is our Father – and I believe that He is. And if we are His children – and I believe that we are. – - Well,… in this framework of belief and this framework of Relationship - it is stirring to me – I’m talking – “chill-bumps” - – how God – the Father – is moving among His children – insisting that we develop - a trusting and obedient faith relationship with Him. We just read in the previous chapter of Genesis 11, that - our Father God insisted – that His children spread out – over the face of the earth – in fact – His insistence was such that he would confuse our language and dis-unify His children. When, they/we – stop trusting and obeying God – when we neglect the Relationship with our Father – He moves - to correct our path.
Now – in this present text – (think it through) – we find Abraham and his family involved in an intimate relationship with their Father – God – who is asking “Father Abraham” – to separate from His father and family and follow his Heavenly Father – into the “unknown” - to receive a blessing.
Its almost as if – our Father – God - is struggling, as a parent – to nurture us, as His children – while we are consistently becoming distracted by our own desires – and our own pleasures – - - God is our Father! – and our Father desires a Faith Relationship with us!!
Being a father - I am beginning to relate – to our Heavenly Father-God – as a Father. Like my father before me, and his father before him, I believe our heavenly Father’s ultimate desire is to have an intimate relationship with His children. This Father/Child relationship - begs my Faith and my trusting obedience. To nurture such an ongoing relationship – seems to demand and infact counts on – my obedient faith – in the values and the concepts of how I should daily live. I can relate to a Father doing his very best to impart such principles to his children. I can relate to the desire of a Father – for his children – to be intimately bound to His love, guidance and will.
A central theme of Faith – in the physical family and in the spiritual family – is Obedience. The relationship our Father God is seeking from His children on every page of His Word, from Genesis forward – is a perfect example of the relationship every physical father should want to have with his children. I am not sure – we get that. Do we?
Beyond creation – beyond the fall of man and the flood – a common thread seems to be winding its way through scripture. Are you seeing it too? – A window into the heart of our Father God. Moreover – as I am beginning to see – a means by which God plans to use “all of His children” – from the seed of Father Abraham – to bring redemption and salvation to the world!! – through His only son, Jesus Christ. He wants an intimate relationship with you, and me, too!
How is your Faith relationship with your heavenly Father?
Father,
We come to you – too often – not connected to you – as our Father and often unaware of the relationship that you desire to nurture within us, as your children. Help us to become – more and more – childlike – in trusting – obedient – faith. Help us to see you Father – through the window of your Word – in the creation of your world – and in the face of your Son. When we stray – Father, move – to correct our path. Help us to see the “unknown” future of the days and moments in front of us – through eyes of Faith – in Relationship with You, as our Father. Father, we long to know you – to know your love and your will in our daily lives. Guide us, Father. Mold us, Father. Use us, Father. Protect us, Father. Hold us in your loving arms.
Through Jesus, your Son and our Savior, Amen
July 24 2009 | Living in the Word | No Comments »