“PRACTICAL CONFIDENCE”

“When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.”

Genesis 12:6

One time, my younger daughter asked me to help get more storage on her iPad. She was unable to install an app, and the device was getting pretty slow. So, I decided to do a factory reset, but I explained that it would take about half an hour for the whole process to complete. She said, “Ok Dad.”

But after every 5 minutes, she would check the gadget and see if it was updated. Thirty minutes later, the reset was finished. So, I tried to install the app, but it said it would take another 30 minutes to complete. With her patience running out, my little one blurted, “Dad, does this mean that I waited for nothing?” To ease her troubled soul, I said, “Don’t worry, my child. It’ll work later. Just be a little more patient.” Reluctantly, she released a deep sigh and said, “Okay.”

The Bible is replete with promises to God's people. But sometimes, it takes time before those pledges turn into actual blessings. So, what do we do when we feel a little impatient and anxious?

In our previous blog, we learned that God calls us to be His representatives in this rather dark world. Let’s keep digging.

When Abraham and his company arrived in Canaan, he camped in a place called Shechem (“shoulder”) at the site of a great tree of Moreh (“plain, oak”). Shechem is currently called Tell Balatah, just east of Nablus and 35 miles north of Jerusalem. It is close to two mountains: Gerizim and Ebal, so people made it a sacred site. It later became an important trading center.

At that time, the land was inhabited by the Canaanites. They were the descendants of Canaan, the son of Ham, the son of Noah. Their group was so numerous that they had to be broken up into different peoples. Tyre and Sidon were their famous cities, making them known as great traders and merchants. They were also known for their sailing and artistic skills. They worshiped the false god Baal and were detestable to God because of their utter wickedness, especially during the time of Joshua.

In this place, God appears to Abraham again to confirm the promise He made in verses 1-3, where God vows to give Abram that He will make him into a great nation, bless him with a great name, and make him a channel of blessings to the world.

God takes Abraham, an itinerant shepherd, to an already established land and makes an oath that this land will be given to him and his ancestors. Can you imagine what was going on in Abraham’s mind? When he saw the inhabitants of the land, their houses, buildings, and other structures, he was probably wondering, “How could this happen?” But he kept listening to God and trusting Him.

Likewise, you and I have God-given promises found in the Bible. The Lord wants us to pay attention, put our trust in Him, and see the fulfillment of those promises. Maybe the hardest part of this whole engagement is waiting. This is where faith comes in. It is not a mere religious idea; it is practical confidence in the character of the One who made the promise.

Truth be told, we have far greater revelation than Abraham ever had. And with that much disclosure, we are expected to have great faith. Waiting can last a very long time, but do we have enough spiritual fuel to keep going? Can we keep trusting God even when He seems slow in bringing His word to fulfillment?

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by John Towner on Unsplash