“Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.” And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the LORD, who had appeared to him.”
Genesis 12:7 NLT
Abram, aged 75, made his way not only to Canaan, but to make the point, journeyed deep into Canaan. Although populated by Canaanites, God builds on his promise of making Abram a great nation by stating that this land will pass into Abram’s family. This is a controversial claim to make, having arrived as an immigrant among the nation of the Canaanites. His response is to build an altar to God. This demonstrates his devotion to Yahweh and his true Hebrew identity within a foreign land.
When God speaks, it is as well to mark these moments with an offering to God lest we forget, given there may be some time to wait and personal effort to invest before we see the outworking of God’s promise. It’s easy to lose hold of God’s promise and to become stranded in forgetfulness. In such spaces it’s easy to conclude God has abandoned me, or even that God is purely a figment of my imagination.
A journal capturing these moments is itself a form of altar gathering God’s words together. Keeping faith with God is really an attitude and an act of the will. The flesh may fail, for it is weak and always demands instant gratification, while circumstances can prove so painful it can seem best I forget God altogether, and in so doing apparently assume I’m released from the conflict faith creates.
QUESTION
Consider how you might record key moments of your journey of faith with God.
PRAYER
Faithful Lord, as I journey with you, help me remember all your goodness and grace to me.
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