“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse his that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed” (KJV, Gen. 12:1-3).
“Now the Lord had said unto Abram”
Father, I thank You for speaking to Abraham. I see that my faith and salvation have come partly from the work that You did in Abraham’s life. I pray that You would speak to me as well. When I open Your Word, there are times in which I turn from it without gaining much insight. But I also notice times when the Holy Spirit illuminates Your Word, and I can hear Your voice.
Throughout the Bible, You have made it clear that You desire to speak to Your creation. You told Adam not to eat from the fruit of the tree, and You walked in the Garden in the coolness of the day. You spoke to Cain and told Him what he ought to do to be accepted, and You spoke to him again after he killed his brother. When sin was prevalent in the land, You told Noah what he must do to save the human race.
You have declared Jesus to be the Word of God made flesh, and You have told me that Your Bible is Your Word. It is clear that You would desire to speak to me, and I pray that You would open my ears so that I would hear Your voice.
“Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house”
When You called Abraham, I can see that You told him to separate from his country, kindred, and father’s house. You called Abraham to Yourself and sanctified him. You have called me to live a life of separation from the world, and I pray that You would encourage me with this fact through the example of Abraham.
When You brought the Israelites into Canaan, they were supposed to drive out the inhabitants of the land. You informed them they would be led astray by their associations with the surrounding nations. However, they did not listen and dwelled among the people. As a result, they were led astray to worship idols, and their hearts were defiled.
“unto a land that I will shew thee”
Nevertheless, you showed Abraham a good land. You showed Him the land in which You promised him. I see that the Promised Land is meant to foreshadow eternity. There is a good land that You have called me to, and I pray I will never lose sight of this fact.
You have told me to set my eyes on eternity, and Jesus seated upon His throne. You have informed me that I must focus on the things above and not on those below. In the book of Hebrews, it is stated that Abraham went out to the land and left behind his former place of residence, but if he had been thinking of the land from which he went out, he would have likely returned.
“And I will make of thee a great nation”
You promised to make a great nation out of Abraham. As Your Word unfolds, I can see that You did just that. You raised up the Israelites through Moses and Joshua. You settled the people in the land of Canaan. You set David upon a throne, and Israel was established as the earth’s greatest kingdom.
However, Israel fell from their lofty position due to sin. They forsook You through their turning. Nevertheless, You have a more extraordinary purpose behind Your promise. You are making a great nation, and it will be the nation of Christ. You are calling sinners into Your kingdom and advancing in the land. Christ will rule and reign on earth and sit upon the throne of David when He returns. You are truly making a great nation out of Abraham’s descendants.
“and I will bless thee”
Father, would You bless me? I do not deserve Your blessing, but I pray that You would look upon the merits of Christ and bless me. Make Your face shine upon me and be gracious to me. Let the peace of Christ rule in my heart. May You never turn Your face from me and allow me to see the light of Your presence. Would You open my eyes as I read Your Word and help me to understand Scriptural truth? Strengthen me to repent of sin and honor You. Bring about fruit in my life which would ultimately glorify You.
“and make thy name great”
Father, You made good on Your promise to Abraham. You made his name great. When You make a promise, I know I can trust in Your Word. Abraham has gone down in history as the father of the faithful. Abraham is spoken of in many books of the Bible. Abraham has been laid forth as an excellent example for me to follow. You have made his name great, Lord; You have done it.
Teach me to remember Your promises as I go about my day. I often forget Your Word and fitting promises that speak to specific moments in my life. Guide me through Your Word and help me to store Your promises in my heart.
“and thou shalt be a blessing”
Here I see that You gave Abraham a purpose for Your blessing that was outside of himself. You did not simply bless Abraham so that he would prosper. Instead, You blessed Abraham so that he would be a blessing.
You have saved me and given me treasure in a jar of clay. However, You have called me to be an ambassador for Christ and told me that You make Your appeal through me. Therefore, teach me not to neglect the calling to proclaim the excellences of Christ faithfully.
“And I will bless them that bless thee”
In these words, I can see Jesus. When You told Abraham that You would bless those who bless Abraham, You first told Abraham that he would be a blessing. So, Father, I see that I love You because You first loved me. I know that I am blessed by You first, and in that blessing, I can also bless You.
You have been good to me, and I am forever thankful for that. I bless You, Lord, because You are worthy to be blessed. You are the Creator God, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Your mercy is astounding, and Your grace is remarkable. You have made the way of salvation in Jesus Christ, and I have been blessed in Him.
“and curse him that curseth thee”
Father, when I look into the Garden, I am made aware of the curse that came upon mankind because of the sin of Adam. When he ate the fruit of the tree, he died spiritually. When I look into the law of Moses, I am made aware that those who do not fulfill the entire law are under a curse. But when I look to Jesus, I see the one Who died upon a tree. Your Word tells me that the one who dies upon a tree is under a curse. Father, I thank You that Jesus took the curse for me so that I would be blessed.
“and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed”
You have given me Christ through the line of Abraham. You have shown Your faithfulness to me through Your Word. You did not change Your mind but made good on Your promises. Therefore, I can trust in You, and even when my faith fails, You will remain faithful. You are the strength of my heart and my portion forever. You gave Christ the cup of Your wrath, and You have given me the cup of salvation. In Jesus’ name, Amen.