Imagine being in Abraham’s shoes. About 430 years had passed from the time that Noah and his family left the Ark after the flood until Abraham heard God’s call to leave Babylon (Ur of the Chaldees) and go to the promised land. Imagine what Babylon, the place where the people and rulers had openly decided to defy God’s commands, must have been like in Abraham’s day. Abraham was being asked to leave a center of civilization and the latest technology for a land he knew nothing about. God promised Abram (later renamed Abraham) an inheritance and a special blessing (Genesis 12:1-3). God told Abram that he would become a great nation and all nations on earth would be blessed through him –all because Abram responded to God’s call.
What’s your “Babylon”? Is there territory, ideas or behaviors that God is asking you to leave behind in favor of a greater blessing? It couldn’t have been easy for Abram to leave the familiar to head for uncharted territory. But Abram believed God. Though Abram got out of Babylon, it probably took some time for Babylon to get out of Abram. But God is patient, merciful, and always sees the bigger picture; He sees the great potential of a willing heart.
We often don’t have many answers for the journey God asks us to go on. But as long as we remember that it was God who asked us to begin the journey, we’ll keep our eyes fixed on the Better Country that is coming.
We don’t belong here. We dare not return to our point of origin. We have a greater citizenship, and the Ruler of all creation is preparing a place for us. Don’t go back to Babylon. Do be distracted by “more promising” destinations. Keep on task and look to the Better Country. All that we do, all that we commit to the King and His Kingdom never goes unnoticed. Don’t grow weary in doing good, and don’t even consider turning back to the “home country.” The only return we should be concerned with has nothing to do with Babylon and everything to do with God.
Love in Jesus,
George