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….” So Abram went. (Genesis 12.1-4)
The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, “Lift up your eyes and look… for all the land that you see I will give to you… Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land…” So Abram moved his tent. (Genesis 13.14-18)
The word of the LORD came to [Abram]… “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look to the heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them… So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the LORD. (Genesis 15.4-6)
[God] said to him, “Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.” And he brought him all these… (Genesis 15.9-10)
Notice a pattern?
God says; Abram listens. Now watch this:
And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. (Genesis 16.2)
Uh-oh… Does anyone else smell trouble?
As long as Abram is listening to God and believing that what God says is true, he’s good. God continues to reveal more of Himself. He also offers Abram more and more promises: land, a multitude of descendants, a child of his own.
But as soon as Abram starts listening to those who are speaking contrary to God’s direction, or even listening to his own fears, he gets in trouble.
In this case, Abram ends up having a child with his wife’s servant. Though God chooses to use this servant-woman and child in a unique way, the whole situation causes tension and conflict in Abram’s household. The servant begins to look on Sarai with contempt, and Sarai blames Abram for the whole thing. “May the LORD judge between you and me!” she shouts. “Then Sarai dealt harshly with [the servant], and she fled from her” (Genesis 16.6).
Whose voice are you listening to?
There were many times when Abram listened to God; but there were moments when he listened to the voice of others. Whose voice are you listening to?
When you read God’s Word, do you believe what He says? When you pray and get that direction or nudging from God, do you respond in obedience?
Or do you allow your fears, your friends, your anger, your cynicism to have the last word?
These past few months have felt somewhat like Abram’s “walk to the land I will show you” kind of journey for me. Being married, expecting my first child, purchasing a house, and adjusting to life as a step-mom… I’m not always sure where I’m going. It’s all new to me.
Sometimes I listen to God’s voice: stepping back from some commitments so I can put my family first, or seeking to find a home church where my husband and I can grow in our relationship with God. But it seems that all too often, I, like Abram, let fear or the voices of others lead me in the wrong direction.
I want to seek godly counsel from others. I want to learn from the experience of those who have walked this road before me. But not at the expense of what God is telling me to do.
Isaiah 50.7 says, “Because the Sovereign Lord helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore, I have set my face like a stone, determined to do his will…” That’s what I want: to know without a doubt that God is helping me, and to have a solid determination to do as He says.
What about you?
