I Want a Faith Like That

Ok so the title isn't exactly "mine." I may have stolen it from a song by some muscularly armed Christian singer, but its true! In the Sunday School class that I have been teaching, we have been going though the book of Genesis. Now I know for many people when you think of an interesting subject to be studying, the first 5 books of the Bible don't exactly scream "EXCITEMENT!" However, I thought it would be a good idea to start in the beginning. There are a few students who have not really studied the Bible, or not for very long so it made sense. So we discussed Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah, and the Tower of Babel. For the last few weeks though we have been studying the life of Abraham. I have never been more amazed by this man than I have been in preparing for these lessons. Maybe the students are not getting anything out of my lessons but I sure am (which I do know is a problem and if they are not getting anything out of them I need to change something but the point is that I'm learning)!

Abraham was a man living comfortably in a city where everyone knew his name. By this time in history, the flood was no longer a big deal. It had come and gone, and people had gone back to what they were doing before, worshiping anything else than the God who created them. So Abraham in probably in a family business, associating with people he knew and loved. Then, one day, Abraham hears a voice. We are told that God speaks to Abraham (Abram at this time) and tells him that He will make Abram a great nation. He instructs Abram to leave his father's household and "go to a land I will show you." So naturally Abram sits back to think about finances, how this will affect others, if this request even makes sense.... ONLY NO! The next verse says "So Abram went forth as the Lord had spoken to him." Oh did I mention he was 75?! He's not some young pup who is itching to leave the house. This man has a life established, but because God instructed him to do something (not even a clear something) he gets up and leaves! Abraham goes on to cutting off his foreskin, talking with God to help save two cities, and almost sacrificing his son. He does all these things and we never find in these accounts where it says that his faith wavered. Actually in Hebrews 11 we find that Abraham actually believed God would resurrect his son if he killed him. Abraham had never seen anyone raised from the dead before. But he believed God so much when God told him that he would have a son and become a great nation that he could not believe anything else.

How amazing is that? Even when things got crazy and Abraham couldn't make sense of why God was doing what He was doing, Abraham believed Him. Sure there were a couple times when Abraham lied to save his skin (which was wrong) but the majority of the time Abraham's faith in the Almighty was unparalleled by any other example we are given. What would it look like in my life to have a faith like that? Would I be able to pack up and "go" if God told me to do so, even if he didn't say specifically where or even why? What would it look like for me to follow our amazing God through everything knowing that as long as I am following Him, He will take care of me? What does that even look like today? May we all find that kind of faith. May we all be transformed by the amazing saving grace of God through Jesus and be transformed into faithful followers, no matter what.