Faith leaves - or stays
The call to follow the Lord can be costly, not least because Jesus is disruptive. He scatters tables and coins in the temple courts, and summons a hated tax collector away from his thriving business to a lunch that would revolutionise everything. This same God called Abraham to an utterly radical, almost unthinkable step - to leave his homeland and family. In our mobile culture, where people no longer stay in the same job or live in the same house for decades or even a lifetime, the impact of this could be lost on us. In Abraham’s time, a move like this was much more unlikely and therefore risky.
And there’s a further component of risk here - Abraham was 75 years of age. This was not a call to a young person, one who didn’t have trappings of security to leave behind, and who would see risk as an exciting adventure. Rather the call came to a couple who had settled in their habits, their relationships, and had probably become comfortably familiar with their surroundings. They might have felt justified in wanting to wile away their remaining days in comfort and predictability.
Abraham was not just sent somewhere by God, but promised God’s presence as he went. It’s important that we see that he was not just promised blessing, but assured that the blesser would accompany him. Later that pledge would be confirmed as the Lord cut a covenant with Abraham: ‘Abram, do not be afraid. I am like a shield to you. I am your very great reward’ (Genesis 15:1).
God is with us, and always will be. Jesus’ final parting words were obviously chosen with great care because His final words of benediction before ascending into heaven would obviously be marked and especially remembered. And so He said simply but powerfully, “I am with you’. Being a disciple is not just a call to follow Christian principles or even kingdom agendas, but a call to walk by faith with the Christ, with the King, who has promised to be with us - forever.
Kay and I received a call to relocate decades ago - and it was scary. I can still remember the feeling of terror. We were relocating back to the UK, a young family with two children aged 7 and 10. We had nowhere to live on a permanent basis, only temporary rented accommodation for six months. We had a guaranteed income of just £4000 per year, with the hope that ministry opportunities would open up and our needs would be met. I remember sitting on the plane, as it taxied down the runway, and experiencing a moment of cold terror - what was I doing? But then I had a deep sense that we were not alone, that we were on a journey with God leading us and being with us. And God did take care of us in remarkable ways.
But all of that was in yesteryear, and today, I’m challenged. 75 is still a little way off for me. But at this stage of my life, am I still willing for Jesus to lovingly disrupt my life? I don’t want to view risk and bold faith as something in my history, but not an attitude that I’m willing to embrace again today. How about you? Let’s give God this season, whether we’re young, old, or something in between. Let’s walk with Him all the way home, whether the call is to go - or stay.