Genesis 12 - Further reflections

The pattern that emerges is this chapter is promise, pressure,panick. It is a pattern that most of us would identify with as we journey along on the spiritual life. The promise of God comes to Abram and offers him a great future. The faith Abram demonstrates in this promise is quickly met with an extreme pressure. He finds himself in a land where there is a severe famine. It seems unthinkable that you can move from being the future blessing of all the nations to finding yourself at the mercy of nature. Abram's only option to survive the famine was to journey into territory where his own life would be at threat. Abram's initial enthusiam for God's offer quickly diminished into panick. Abram sees no alternative but to offer his wife to another man in order to protect himself. Some people come to faith under the impression that Christianity delivers you from the troubles and challenges of life. When reality sets in it becomes clear that we will all walk through dark valleys and face troubling times. There are also days that we might panick, like Abram, but it is encouraging to know that God does not abandon us even when we regress from faith. As we learn to trust God and resist the need to be in control, we will dicover that keeping faith is a lot less hassle than panicking. I wonder if Abram and Sarai's relationship was ever the same again after this incident.