Sometimes God makes promises to us for our future and we find ourselves facing new lands, a new direction–the unknown.
Before we can harness the blessing of God’s gifts, the fullness of His vision must be realized.
God made Abraham such a promise. Abraham, already a wealthy man, lived along side Lot in a land unable to sustain their two families. Before moving on, Abraham calls on the Lord. While we aren’t privy to the words of this call, what matters most is that Abraham prayed first.
With all of the crowding from the two large families, unrest began to take its toll among the people. In an effort to keep the peace, Abraham offers Lot first pick of places to settle.
Let’s part company. If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right; if you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” (Genesis 13:9)
Abraham calmly, willingly accepts Lot’s choice to settle in Sodom. Lot chooses Sodom because by all appearances, the land is superior to Canaan.
Lot looked around and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan toward Zoar was well watered, like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself the whole plain of the Jordan and set out toward the east. The two men parted company. (Genesis 13:10-111)
{Unfortunately for Lot, Soddom was fertile, sinful behavior ran rampant within its’ borders.}
Following Lot’s departure, the Lord speaks to Abraham, He tells Abraham to”Look around from where you are, to the north and south, to the east and west. All the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone could count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” (Genesis 13:15-17)
God gives Abraham a promise for a future beyond anything imaginable.
God’s instructions are:
- Look
- Go
- Walk
Has God made you a promise? Are you waiting to realize the dream He has placed in your heart?
Follow Abraham’s example:
- Call on the Lord (13:4)
- Be willing to accept whatever comes (13:9)
- Look, see, go, walk (13:15-17)
Once we have done these things we can wait expectantly on the Lord t fulfill His promises. Ask God to show you His vision, then go, where He leads, look at what He has for you, walk through the land–wait expectantly on the Lord.
What vision has God given you? Have you walked around in it and taken it all in? Share your experience in the comments below.
while i can’t give specifics, i can share that i am right there with you, friend!
yes to the vision.
yes to the assurance of it.
yes to the certainty that it certainly seems to be at a standstill!!! 🙂
but God. . .
and that’s where i always return. to the place of placing it in HIS hands.
over and over again.
all for His glory, right?
for without that as the motivation, there is no “glory” to be had. no purpose. no fruit.
there is as much in the journey as in the destination, if not more.
so thank you for the encouragement to stop. look around. take it all in. for i truly do want to enjoy what it is He has given me in the walking.
have a blessed day!
steph
Oh yes, Steph. The journey IS at least as important as the destination–a necessary trudging through. And if not for His glory, then for nothing at all…. Praying for you as you wait it out, as you take it all in….
Sometimes I ask myself, do I dare to believe that God is really showing me “this”?
Lately, I feel a deeper work is being done in my heart — to establish me in a quiet steady confidence in who I am in Christ, so that I will be able to embrace the vision God has.
Well written and well taught, friend 🙂
Michele-Lyn,
I have doe the same questioning. I ahve vascilated between embracing the vision I feel He has set for me, and then shrinking back from it, unsure and afraid…. I love that you feel Him calling you to Himself, finding that quiet asurance of who you are in HIM, so He hac use you for His purposes… in my current season, I’d be a fool to ignore the hard stretching as preparation for something else. He is faithful to see us through, we must trust and obey. Praying for you, friend!
God gave me a vision a long time ago, and a word through another believer, that I would minister to women. Because I am not a “teacher” I put it on the back burner. However, since I stepped out to begin writing and blogging, I am beginning to see that vision come to fruition. I never pushed it aside, I just shelved it. God is always faithful to grow those dreams and visions in His timing!