The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your
people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.
“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. I will bless those who
bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1-3)
Are you good at making excuses? I know I am.
God says, “Be in my Word regularly.”
“But God, I’ve got a lot going on in my life right now. I am just going to have to fit it in when I have time.”
He says, “Bring your concerns and troubles to me.”
“But God, I know what I’m doing. I’ve got this under control. I can handle this.”
He says, “Rely on me for your needs.”
“You know, God, just hoping that the bills will be paid or that there will magically be food in the cupboard just isn’t going to cut it.”
He says, “Tell that co-worker of yours about me. Tell him what I have done for him.”
“Are you serious, God? He’s not going to listen to me. He’ll just make fun of me.”
I’ve become pretty good at making excuses when God tells me to do something. My guess is you’re not too bad at it either.
What about Abram? Do you think he was pretty good at making excuses like you and I are?
God tells him, “Abram, I want you to leave your country, your people, and your father’s household and I want you to head out to a land that I am going to tell you nothing about right now.”
You can imagine the list of excuses that Abram may have given. “But God, my family is here, I can’t leave them behind. You know, I am not so young anymore, God. I just don’t know if I am up to all this traveling and living out of a tent. I am not going to know anyone there, I’ll be considered a stranger. God, why me? Why did you pick me for this?”
But the Lord immediately overwhelms the excuses that Abram may have spoken, or that he maybe was only thinking. He gives him a perfect package of seven promises in order to strengthen his faith to do what he wanted him to do. And his final, most important and greatest promise in the list, the “Go out there and get ‘em” of his pep talk, is the promise of the Messiah who was to come from him. This was enough for Abram, because immediately following this Messianic promise are the words, “so Abram left, as the LORD had told him.”
The Lord overwhelms all of our excuses with a perfect package of promises as well.
“You have too much going on in your life to find time to be in my Word regularly? I promise that I will remain in you when you remain in me.”
“You think you have everything under control and you don’t need to bring your troubles to me? I make the promise, come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I promise, I will give you rest.”
“Do you really think that your worrying about paying the bills or your fretting about food for the cupboards is going to provide for you? Seek first my kingdom and my righteousness and I promise you, all these other things will be given to you as well.”
“So you are worried that co-worker is not going to listen to you? I promise you, my word will not return to me empty, but it will accomplish what I desire.”
There is no reason to doubt the Lord will make good on these promises or any of the others he makes to us in His Word. The Lord fulfilled all of his promises to Abram, most importantly, that of the Promised Savior. And because of this Savior, the Lord promises that every single one of your sins of doubt and distrust are forgiven, and you have the assurance that all his promises to you will be accomplished.
There is no need for us to make excuses. The Lord is faithful. So like Abram, we go, as the Lord has told us to. Believing, and trusting in his promises.
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