In Abraham's SkinSample

The Call of Abraham

Abraham, the father of believers, is a man who lived about 4000 years ago but whose life is a model of faith. The Bible tells us about his journey with God, revealing his doubts and celebrating his trust in God. Let's put ourselves in Abraham's shoes to discover what God taught him.

Abraham's call shows us, first of all, that God is looking for us. His love for humans is not passive. God pursues us with his love, drawing us to himself. Jesus came to affirm this again when he said that no one can come to him unless the Father draws him. (Jn 6.44, Jn 3.16)

The Lord is a God who calls humans. His call is personal because God is a personal being, not just a force in the universe. He enters into a relationship with us, his creatures. I invite you to take a moment to thank God for coming to meet you. Think back to the ways he used, the people he put in your path, and the way he touched your heart.

Have you noticed that God's call is without prerequisites, without preconditions? God calls Abraham to follow him as he is. During the journey, revelations of God's nature will transform Abraham. This reminds me of Jesus calling Matthew the tax collector. Matthew left everything to follow Jesus. Abraham's response, like Matthew's, invites us to consider that we must seek the kingdom of God first. Following Jesus must be our priority. (Mt 6:33)

The Lord has a plan of blessing for Abraham, and he also commits to protecting him. The Lord has not changed: Jesus came to give us life in abundance (Jn 10:10). The Father keeps us in his hand and protects us; no one can take us from his hand or separate us from his love.

God also shows his willingness to collaborate with Abraham by blessing the nations through him. This is still what he does through his Church, his body. He placed his Spirit on his children so that they would proclaim the good news of salvation, heal the sick, set the captives free, and deliver the prisoners. (Lk 4:18; Jn 20:21-22)

What was Abraham's response?

He agreed to follow God. Have you agreed to follow Jesus?

Even if you have to go against the grain of the prevailing culture?

Even if you have to follow a different path than your family, your ancestors?

Abraham's life shows us that God is faithful to his word and that he can be trusted. So Abraham set out, and at each stop, he built altars to pray and offer sacrifices to God. Life by faith is about cultivating our relationship with God in prayer and worship. In this intimacy, we will be able to receive his revelations and know God better. Abraham made the journey in stages, and your life with God also has several stages. In each of them, God reveals himself to you in a particular way so that you can trust him more and more.

I suggest you pray with me:

Lord, thank you for having drawn me to you. Thank you because you want to reveal yourself more to me in all your love, your greatness, and your faithfulness. I will follow you by faith today, one step at a time. I choose to seek you to know you better, Father. Thank you for the good plans you have for my life. I pray that my faith will grow as I follow Jesus step by step. In Jesus' name, amen.

David Théry

Practical teachings to experience God