Chapter 2 · Encounter 14 of 48
Called Before We Were Ready
Prepare
Abraham occupies a central place in the biblical story, but his relationship with God begins with an unexpected call. God invites him to leave what is familiar and follow a promise whose fulfillment he cannot yet see.
As you read, notice what God promises, what Abraham is asked to do, and how this calling fits into God's larger purposes.
Read Scripture
Open each passage here without leaving this Encounter.
Gen. 12:1-9
The Call of Abram
1The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2“I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
4So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran. 5He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.
6Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
8From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
9Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.
Joshua 24:2-3
2Joshua said to all the people, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Long ago your ancestors, including Terah the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates River and worshiped other gods. 3But I took your father Abraham from the land beyond the Euphrates and led him throughout Canaan and gave him many descendants. I gave him Isaac,
Ponder
- What does God initiate in his encounter with Abraham? Notice how much of the passage describes what God promises to do. What does this suggest about the foundation of Abraham's relationship with him?
- Joshua later reminds Israel that Abraham's ancestors served other gods. How does this background change the way you understand God's choice and call of Abraham? What might it reveal about the kinds of people God calls and the purposes for which he calls them?
Look Again
Look again at Genesis 12:2–3 2“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”Gen. 12:2-3
Through him, God intends to bless all the families of the earth.
Notice how God's initiative toward one person is connected to his purposes for the whole world. What does that suggest about the reach of his gracious love?
Practice
Think about one responsibility, relationship, or opportunity in your life where you sense a need to respond faithfully to God but feel uncertain or inadequate.
Return to Genesis 12:1–3 The Call of Abram 1The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. 2“I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. 3I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”Gen. 12:1-3
Prayer
Thank God for taking the initiative to call people into relationship with himself. Speak honestly about where you feel unprepared or uncertain, and ask for a willing heart to follow his direction.