“The Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and kindred… to the land I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and [curse] him who dishonors you, and in you all families of the earth shall be blessed.’
“So Abram went, as the Lord had told him… Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran…
“The Lord said to Abram, ‘Lift up your eyes and look… northward, southward, eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth…’
“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram..: ‘Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.‘ But Abram said, ‘O Lord God,.. I continue childless… You have given me no offspring…‘ The Lord [said]: ‘Your very own son shall be your heir.‘ And he brought him outside… ‘Look toward heaven, and number the stars… So shall your offspring be.‘ And he believed the Lord.” Genesis 12:1-4; 13:14-16; 15:1-6
Abram responded to God’s call by leaving and trusting. God would show him the land where he’d settle as he went, expanding his limited vision to a nation that blessed the earth. Abram knew little of this God of promise, but propelled by a seed of faith, went, building altars along the way to call upon His name. As years passed and childbearing looked impossible, Abram thought his servant Eliezer would be his heir, not yet comprehending the scope of his promised inheritance. The sky and stars just hinted at its vastness and influence and the greatness of the Sovereign who would fulfill it.
As with Abraham, God has promised much more for us than we can fathom. He unfolds the riches of our inheritance as we follow in faith. He leads us out from narrow thinking and transient doing to teach us to see and work with eternal eyes. Life here on earth is a constant preparation for our forever. (Isaiah 55:8-9; Jeremiah 29:11; Ephesians 1:3-14)
With the crush of stress and malaise of the mundane, we can find ourselves plodding in the lowlands. Whether we’re exhausted or complacent, the fire of expectation and a future smolders dim when the present is more than we can manage. What will awaken us to the bright inheritance of hope and meaning the Lord has ahead? How can and will we foster eternal vision of what’s been promised and its Benefactor?
Where am I settling in the here and now for minimal fruit, feeling good instead of enjoying deep satisfaction, shallow short-lived relationships instead of significant and lasting ones? Where has selfishness put boundaries on how God would define my future, or effectiveness, or holy service? Do I expend effort only in things I can do, procure, or solve, or do I take my hands off and welcome God’s performing the impossible? Am I too nearsighted and weak-faithed to expect God’s more and amazingly beyond? (Ephesians 3:20-21)
“Soar we now where Christ has led,
Following our exalted Head,
Made like him, like him we rise,
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies!” ~Charles Wesley (1739)
Lord, grant me vision, faith, and zeal to live out my eternal inheritance to Your glory.
As the rain and snow 