Yet Another word from Father Abraham...
Never mind having many sons, Father Abraham clearly had many stories. Reflecting further this weekend on the old man's journey of faith, we came upon the question: Why did he not buy a farm? Clearly he had cash. He did well for himself. When he looked for a field in which to bury his much-loved Sarah, he was willing to pay. So why had he never bought a farm? Why not settle - take what you can get? Why not build a fence and a nice wooden house and live secure within the borders of your own prosperity.
The answer is that God had promised him a nation. Abraham faced a daily choice - the certainty of a farm or the promise of a nation. small blessings now, or unnumbered blessings forged from a future walked in faith with God?
I face the same choice every day. A farm now, or a future by faith? A tiny church today, or a world transformed tomorrow? Little rewards for my paltry efforts, or the joy of playing my part in the chain of faith that leads towards much more? What if Abraham, whenever the simple certainties of farming beckoned, raised his eyes to the horizon, and settled his soul with just two words… "all this". What if we could do the same?
