Abram experienced a journey from fear to faithfulness. This is the Lord’s desire for us when fear tempts us to compromise. When famine struck Canaan, Abram suddenly forgot how the Lord had guided him from the land of Ur and provided for him. Like Abram, we sometimes struggle with a short memory of what God has done in the past as we face crises.
In the future, Abram’s descendants would become slaves in Egypt until the Lord freed them. To help them remember what God had done, they were to celebrate Passover each year as a reminder. Additionally, in the book of Deuteronomy alone, God calls the Israelites to remember that they were slaves in Egypt fifteen times. When they remembered they had been slaves, they would also not forget that God had saved them.
As Abram entered Egypt, he feared the Egyptians would take his beautiful wife and kill him. This fear led him to fabricate a story that she was his sister. Genesis 12:15 When the palace officials saw her, they sang her praises to Pharaoh, their king, and Sarai was taken into his palace. [1]
The Outcome of Fear Has Unintended Consequences
Abram and his wife Sarai went to Egypt without God’s guidance. When our choices are rooted in fear and deception, they can have unintended and harmful consequences for others. Abram couldn’t say no to Pharaoh, so Sarai, who was to be the mother of his descendants, was now to be married to another man. This jeopardized God’s promise and Abram was helpless to correct it. It would take a move of God to undo the situation.
There are times in life when I wish I could undo what I just did, but it doesn’t work that way. The good news is that we can always turn to God when we’ve messed up and seek His forgiveness and guidance to move forward. When we rely on human tactics, we don’t know what God knows or see what He does, which can lead us to a spiritual compromise.
Jesus Chose Obedience Despite Facing Extreme Danger
We have a model of Jesus as He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane the day before He was crucified. Matthew 26: 39 Jesus went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” [2]
Jesus was aware of the future, yet He prayed to fulfill God’s will. Similarly, we can choose obedience through the strength provided by God. Philippians 4:13For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.[3] Hedoesn’t always take the suffering away but walks with us through the valley. The narrow road He leads us on isn’t the easy one; it’s the one He chooses for us on our faith journey.
Only in hindsight do we begin to understand the purpose of the road we’re on. When you feel fearful, seek the Lord, His will, and His strength, and you will never regret doing so. As you do this, you will move from fear to faithfulness. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/when-faith-meets-fear
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.