Moving Day

       Several years ago we had to move near the city so we could be closer to work- and services for one of our children.  We didn’t hire movers or even a truck to move our belongings, but took our time moving by van over a few weeks.  On the last day of the move, we packed and stowed the final boxes and bags from the house into the van.  It was a very long, exhausting day, and tinged by sadness for us as we fondly remembered the memories we made while we lived there.  Contents of one house and garage, one family of four, and one dog moved with a final goodbye.

       All our planning, decisions, completed lists, chores and tasks came down to one concluding move- for us a momentous occasion.  No one else really noticed us driving down the road to our new home.  There weren’t people starring at us as we went by, and it all happened within an hour.  Nobody watched us moving in, and the final load merely took a few hours to arrange in the new house.  Over all it was unremarkable- as most moves are these days.

       It wasn’t the same for another family back in history.  At 75, Abram was told by God to leave Haran and go to ‘a land’ with his family leaving his relatives behind (Gen. 12:1) and that God would bless him.  First thing I notice is that Abram didn’t freak out to hear God speak to him, so he must have heard him before, and knew who He was.  That’s good, because I certainly wouldn’t uproot my family just because some stranger tells me too!  Secondly, I always pictured Abram, his wife and nephew (who should have been left behind) and a few servants moving on down the road, but it was a lot bigger deal to Abram than it was for my little family.

       Abram didn’t have a van to move with.  It was done by walking with their possessions on animals or carts pulled by man or animals.  Abram was wealthy (v.5) and had herds, but he also had lots of servants, so it wasn’t just the three of them but all their servants as well.  There is potential for Abram to have 200 servants at this time as by Gen. 14:14 he had 318 male servants born in his house.  Lot had servants as well, so even if he only had 50, that means at least 370 people were walking 650kms ‘down the road’, through towns and villages with their tents, possessions and herds.  That must have been some sight, and I’m sure all the people on their route noticed them going by!

       At almost 20kms a day that would mean it took them about 35 days of walking.  Now, that’s a lot of planning, work and effort!  Glad it wasn’t me.  Why did he do it?  Abram had faith that God would do what He told him He would do.  It takes a lot of faith (Heb. 11:8) to uproot your family ‘village’, and walk them to an uncertain destination all in belief that a God you had never seen would keep His promise.  But it wasn’t that Abram’s faith was so massive as it was what or who his faith was in- a great, powerful, and faithful God who would keep His word.  Abram said of God, “LORD (Jehovah, Eternal), the most high (Supreme) God (Almighty), the possessor (Creator) of heaven and earth” (Gen. 14:22).

       Perhaps we should be like Abram, taking God’s direction one step at a time even if our destination is uncertain and the effort exhausting.  And we don’t have to rely on our ‘great faith’ to get us there; we only need enough faith to see God for Who He is:  our Eternal Lord, Supreme, Almighty Creator of heaven and earth.  He is the One who will fulfill all His promises to us.

All praise and glory to the only living God, Creator of the universe!