Lenten Reflection for Day 37
Date: Wednesday April 4, 2012
Author: Ed Olney
Bible Passage: Genesis 12:4–5 (NRSV)
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 Abram took his wife Sarai and his brother’s son Lot, and all the possessions that they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they had come to the land of Canaan,
Reflection:
First of all, Abram is told to leave his home and family, pack up and head southwest to a yet-undisclosed land. That, in itself, took faith. He is told that out of him will come a great nation who will, in turn, be a blessing to many others. We see this in the verses preceding today’s scripture:
Genesis 12:1–3 (NRSV)
1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Reading on in Genesis 12, we find that all of this actually came true because of the complete faith of Abram and his family in obeying God and making the journey. Can we relate this act of faith to our own Lenten journey? I believe the answer is yes, with the help of God. Our immediate reward is Easter.
When we look at both the Old and New Testaments, we notice that God is always the one taking the initiative. So it is not our doing, but God’s which leads us to salvation, but we must have the faith, or, as we say, “grace through faith.” So it is faith in God that leads us forward.
Prayer: Please God, give us the sense of faith, obedience and trust that we need to complete our life journey and beyond. That, finally, we will achieve our goal of everlasting life with you and your son, Jesus. In His Name we pray, Amen
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