In
the Film Shrek 2, The Character Donkey, (voiced by Eddie Murphy) keeps asking
his friends Shrek and Fiona are we nearly there yet on their journey to Far Far
Away Land.
In
Genesis 11, Terah, Abraham’s Father takes Abram (Abraham), Abram’s wife Sarai
and his grandson Lot, the son of another son called Haran from the settlement
of Ur of the Chaldeans (in modern
day Iraq) to the land of Canaan, (modern day Israel), we don’t know why Terah
had decided to leave Ur and settle in Canaan, but for some reason, he found the
settlement of Haran (in modern day Turkey) and he settled and eventually died
there, see Genesis 11:27 – 32
27 Now
these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of
Abram, Nahor and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. 28 Haran died [k]in
the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the
Chaldeans. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s
wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran,
the father of Milcah [l]and Iscah. 30 Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31
Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his
daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out [m]together from Ur of
the Chaldeans in order to enter the land of Canaan; and they went as far as
Haran, and [n]settled there. 32 The days of Terah were two hundred and five
years; and Terah died in Haran.
To get from Ur of Chaldeans to Canaan, the most
direct route would be in a straight line directly across the desert, ancient
travellers wouldn’t have travelled this route because of the dangers of
travelling in the desert, they would have travelled through a region called The
Fertile Crescent, because they could have found water and pasture for
themselves and their livestock.
When God calls us to do something, He doesn’t always lead us directly from point
a to point b. He takes us in a circuitous route where we can find refreshment,
encouragement and blessing, however sometimes we settle in places that God
hasn’t called us to settle, we settle in places that are oasis of refreshment
rather than our ultimate destination
this sometimes is because of convenience or sometimes because we’re
afraid to move on. If you’re on a journey of faith, adventure and obedience to
the Lord don’t stay in Ur, don’t settle in Haran keep moving to Canaan.
Sometime later, the Lord spoke to Terah’s son
Abram (Abraham), and said to Him 12 The Lord said to Abram: Leave your country,
your family, and your relatives and go to the land that I will show you. 2 I
will bless you and make your descendants into a great nation. You will become
famous and be a blessing to others. 3 I will bless anyone who blesses you, but
I will put a curse on anyone who puts a curse on you. Everyone on earth will be
blessed because of you.[a]
Abraham could have stayed in Haran, he was
settled, comfortable and at ease, life was easier staying at Home, than going
on a Journey, yet there must have been something that drew him to obey the Lord.
One of the films that inspired me in 2012, was Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit; An Unexpected
Journey, Bilbo Baggins played by Martin
Freeman, a respectable Hobbit who has settled for a comfortable live and finds
himself challenged by his friend the Wizard Gandalf and the company of Dwarves
led by Thorin, when Gandalf and Thorin’s
company of Dwarves leave him behind of his reluctance and desire for safety,
security and comfort, he wakes up and realizes his mistake, and runs after his
friends and when asked by his neighbours where he was going, he reply’s I’m off
on an adventure and gets looks of bemusement and confusion
How often when God challenges us to do something,
we like our safety, security, comfort and easy life, it’s time like Bilbo
Baggins to leave our Bagend and don’t let anything hold you back and move on
with our adventure of faith, as the Lord directs and leads us forward.
See Genesis 12:4-9 4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him.
Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. 5 And Abram took
Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they
had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out
to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, 6 Abram
passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak[c] of Moreh. At
that time the Canaanites were in the land. 7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram
and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar
to the Lord, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the hill country
on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on
the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of
the Lord. 9 And Abram journeyed on, still going towards the Negeb.
In the book of Hebrews 11, we see the roll call
of those who obeyed God by their faith and Abraham is one of those mentioned
8 By faith
Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive
as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith
he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents
with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking
forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.
11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past
the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from
one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of
heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore 13 These
all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them
and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers
and exiles on the earth. 14 For people who speak thus make it clear that they
are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of that land from which
they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is,
they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not
ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.
17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered
up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up
his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be
named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead,
from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.
In Part 2, we will continue to look at are we there yet?
Yours by His Grace
Blair Humphreys
Southport, Merseyside
