The Calling of Abraham

Expectations destroy or enhance the reality that you live in. I have recently been getting into the Old Testament, and it is one of my favorite things!!!! The Old Testament explains and shows the heart of God for his people which was personified in Jesus. Abraham may be one of the most important Biblical characters to ever exist. He is important enough that three major world religions trace their lineage back to him! That fact does not mean he was perfect, actually quite the opposite. God promised something to Abraham that seemed ridiculous to any rational human being at the time, his wife Sarah even laughed at the promise to begin with.

It was an extravagant promise that changed the course of history. If God’s calling on your life seems too big to be real, remember that God called Abraham to a father of nations when he was 90 years old. God does not call you based on what you perceive to be your limitations. Our limitations actually prove that God is real. When what God promises comes to pass, the only explanation can be God.

“When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.” – Genesis 15:17-21

God was saying Abraham would be a father in this old age and made a covenant with him. God’s covenant to Abraham carried far more weight than we give it credit. A covenant in those days wasn’t like a pinky promise or something like that. There were consequences if the covenant was not fulfilled, and God took on all of them. In a way, God said, “I’m going to come through, and even if you don’t come through on your side, I will take on the consequences. I am faithful and will always be faithful to this covenant.” Nothing depended on Abraham, everything depended on God to come through. You do not have to worry about making a mistake, because God already knows you will. You have responsibility in your calling, but it is God’s job to come through on making it happen.

God’s name means something in the Old Testament, and even though Abraham did not get to hear God’s name, his promise showed that God’s name is true. The name “YHWH” means “I am that I am.” I never knew what that actually meant until recently, and I did not understand the gravity of names. A name carries a destiny and defines the person that is being described. God’s name means that he is what you experience him to be and always will be that thing. Therefore, if God shows that he is trustworthy, he will always be trustworthy. If God shows himself to be loving, he will always be loving. It is not in his nature to act differently than he has displayed himself to be in the past.
 
There is a reason that God changed Abraham’s name from Abram to Abraham. Abram means “exalted father” while Abraham means “father of many.” God changed his destiny, and he remained true to his covenant promise. However, Abraham had to be constantly reminded of God’s promise to him and what that meant for him during times of hardship. Hardship is going to happen to you on the way to getting to your calling, we do have an enemy out there who’s sole job is to get us to believe our identity is not true. Satan cannot attack your standing with God, so he will do anything to make you believe your identity actually is not true. You are a son or a daughter, stand firm in that truth when circumstances yell differently. You do not have to be afraid of what is happening, you are safe in the Father’s arms. You cannot disqualify yourself from a calling you didn’t even give to yourself.

Let me say this loud and clear: it’s okay to be mad and yell at God sometimes. It would not be a relationship if you pretended everything was okay when you were falling apart. It would be fake, God is not interested in having a relationship with an image of you. God wants the real you and wants to process through all the emotions that you have about your calling.

Even more than that, God’s calling on your life will not be something you could accomplish for yourself. God’s calling on Abraham was a miracle. There is no rational way that it could have worked out without divine intervention. If you can accomplish the calling on your life by yourself, it probably is not God’s calling.
 
It is all about the process with God. At the end of your life, the calling on your life is God. God’s ultimate goal is to be in an intimate relationship with you. It is all that matters to him, that is the entire reason why Jesus came to die on the cross. God did not care what it would cost him, he only cared what it would get him: you. You are the most important thing to God, and he will take care of your heart. He is the safest place to dream, because he cares so deeply about you.

Author | Cristina Rosiles