“TO THE NEXT LEVEL”

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.”

Genesis 12:4

Faith is essential to every believer—not only in terms of salvation but also in terms of daily living. We can’t please God without it, and we can't navigate the Christian life without it.

With that in mind, it would be an understatement to say that we need faith to live out our Christian mission. In our lives, we make important decisions all the time, and some of them will require a leap of faith. In this series, we will learn from a man who trusted God even when he didn’t have much to hold onto.

Abram (“exalted father”) was the son of Terah of the country of Chaldea. His family was a group of sojourners in ancient Mesopotamia. He was chosen by God for a special mission, but for that mission to be accomplished, he should first move from Ur, a place in the southern part of Mesopotamia (Acts 7:2-3) to Canaan (“land of purple”). This would be a journey of about 1,000 miles. It wouldn’t be wrong to conclude that the trip was slow, difficult, and dangerous—given the rampant wickedness of that generation.

Ur (“flame”) was the center of moon worship in southern Babylonia. It was known as a highly developed civilization. In 1854, a team of archaeologists discovered the ruins of this great city, unearthing ample shreds of evidence of wealth, skilled craftsmanship, science, and technology.

From Ur, Abraham’s family traveled 600 miles and stopped at Haran (“parched”). Haran is also the name of Terah’s son and father of Lot. Terah likely named the land after his deceased son. They were supposed to go to Canaan (as God said) but chose to stay in this area. Moses, the presumed writer of this book, does not say why Abraham’s family decided to live in Haran. Terah was about 190 years old and could no longer keep up with the physical demands of traveling another 400 miles to Canaan. Whatever the reason, they lost their momentum and settled in Haran.

Just like Abram, God wants you to learn to trust Him. He wants to take your faith to a whole new level. He desires to change your life forever. He has plans of using you to point people to Him. But for your faith to develop to the point God wants it to be, you must let go of your doubts and worries. You have to fill your mind with things that will help you get to know God better. So, challenge yourself to spend more time in God’s word this year, and see how God will change your life from one stage of faith to the next.

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Pawel Nolbert on Unsplash