Control and Security

Abram's journey with God really began after he got to the promised land. It is hard to tell how much time has elapsed but the next section of Genesis 12 tells of a man not entirely certain about this whole thing. God has appeared to him and promised this land to his descendants, he has built and altar and worshiped and then moved on.

Because of a famine in the land, he and his company, including his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot, are compelled to go down to Egypt. At least in Egypt there are fertile plains along the Nile and therefore in times of famine and drought elsewhere those who were bedouin like Abram knew that there would be food in Egypt. Abram, however, sees a problem. The problem, in his eyes, is that his wife is a beautiful woman, too beautiful perhaps for safety. He concocts a plan for them to keep them safe, posing as brother and sister so that the Egyptians won't kill him in order that they might have her for themselves.

Abram was right in his suspicions but wrong in his lack of faith. Surely the God who had promised all the land to him and that he would be the father of nations would be able to keep he and Sarai safe from harm. God said He would bless Abram and so He does while in Egypt, we are told of all the possessions Abram has there. Abram, however, isn't ready to fully trust God as being there in all things, he is still somewhat self-reliant, relying on his survival instinct and his wits.

One of the difficult things about this journey with God is abandoning our self-reliance and that whole survival instinct thing. If He were always at our side we would be a lot more comfortable in trusting Him, but there are times when we feel alone and vulnerable and it seems like we have to take matters into our own hands just to make sure. This is all new to Abram and times are tough, and tough times call for creative measures. We like the comfort and security of being in control, and God seems to have an agenda that takes us out of our comfort and security and into places where we have to learn to trust Him.