Thursday, May 7, 2020
Scripture for the Day
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that 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 the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
For some reason, I have a scene from a Seinfeld episode from the early 1990’s running through my brain. Jerry and his friend, Elaine, are flying back to New York from somewhere when they learn that their flight into JFK has been canceled. As they approach the ticket counter, the person at the desk informs Jerry and Elaine that she has two seats left on a plane to LaGuardia, but they are not together. Here is how the dialogue ensues:
Ticket Lady: I have one seat in first class, and one in coach. The price is the same since your flight was canceled.
Jerry: I’ll take the first class.
Elaine: Jerry!
Jerry: What?
Elaine: Why should you get the first class?
Jerry: Elaine, have you ever flown first class?
Elaine: No.
Jerry: All right then. See? You won’t know what you’re missing. I’ve flown first class, Elaine — I can’t go back to coach. I can’t… I won’t…
In the way that Jerry knew exactly what he would be giving up if he offered Elaine the first class seat, Abram knew exactly what he would have to give up if he were to be obedient to this call from God. Obviously, the outcomes of Abram’s situation were of far greater consequence than of Seinfeld’s first class/coach predicament. Even so, it is true in both the absurd and consequential: it is very difficult to give up or leave the comforts and consistency of the familiar.
For Abram, his country was familiar. His kindred were familiar. His father’s house was familiar. God was calling Abram to literally leave behind and walk away from the comfort and consistency of the familiar. What is more – and this is different than the Seinfeld episode because Jerry had ridden in coach before – Abram was being asked to step into something that was risky, unfamiliar, and unknown. It is not just that Abram was being asked to step into something by trusting God’s covenantal promises, but Abram was also being asked to step away from something. And make no mistake; they were things that he cherished and held in esteem and high regard. The people and the place were not easy to walk away from.
Sometimes God asks us to “go” and leave behind what is familiar or what is comfortable in order to receive a new blessing or new ministry or new opportunity for faithfulness. To that end, to where or to whom is God calling you to “go”? What of the familiar or comfortable might God be asking you to leave behind? What do you need in your life to exercise a deeper trust in God’s call upon you?
Covenant making God, give us courage and give us strength so we may say, “Yes” to your call on our lives. Amen.
