"And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, ‘I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, for the sake of My servant Abraham.’" Genesis 26:24
This is going to be a long post, so pull your britches up! :-)
This verse speaks to me because as God is speaking to Isaac, in a sense, it is "through" Abraham. Not Abraham personally, but through the relationship Abraham (his father) had with the LORD, the promises that were made, the miles traveled, the prayers that were prayed and the altars that were built, over oh so many years... Isaac in this verse is identified, in effect, as a beneficiary, a recipient, an heir of the blessings that were a direct result of the faith decisions of Abraham. A relationship that will continue in his (Isaac’s) life as he too embraces the promise and the friendship of, in relationship with, the LORD.
This verse speaks to me, personally, because of what I do now, as I travel in ministry as an Evangelist and a Church Planting Coach, all across the State of Kansas, mile after mile, from one church and from one town to the next. During the day, as I drive, I get to see the distinctive variations of the Kansas landscape from East to West and from North to South. I see the vastness of the horizons and the span of the sky stretched out above them. I see the roads we travel now, and sometimes in certain places I get to see other roads, roads traveled by those who first came to and through Kansas looking for land and a fulfillment of promise for themselves. At night I see the stars standing watch in the sky, in places far from the encroachment of the lights of cities and towns, shining steadily on as a reminder of hope for all those who have ever looked up from where they were while trying to find their way.
This verse, and all of these things, also speak to me because of where I come from. My Great-Great-Grandfather, Niklaus Schmutz was an early pre-statehood settler in what is now the far North-East corner of Dickinson County Kansas. He was a rough-and-tumble Swiss immigrant who spoke Dutch (German), was working on English and who had picked up a couple of American Indian languages to help him out in his travels and trade. By trade he was a US Army Supply wagon driver and spent most of his time on the trail, taking supplies from Fort Leavenworth to the farthest reaches of US Army outposts and forts all across the Kansas Territory.
In the midst of his life he met an Evangelical Preacher, a German Speaking Circuit Rider (whom he had actually helped save from a flood-stage Chapman Creek) and formed a friendship with him. That friendship resulted in him and his wife attending a holiness camp-meeting and revival in Holton, Kansas, which resulted in he and his family giving their hearts to Jesus. Everything changed for Niklaus after that. Jesus was Lord of his life, and He was leading him to settle down and help that Circuit Rider preacher start a church there in his log cabin, not far from the banks of the Republican River. That church became the Alida Church, and it’s still there today. In fact, I just preached a revival in that church back in November, and it was at that church where my Mom got to hear me preach for the last time before she passed. The Pastor there is an awesome woman of God (who is doing a fantastic job) named Pastor Maria Foerschler, and that church is full of life, promise and possibilities, even though some might say it’s in the middle of nowhere.
A few months ago, I was way out in the country near Minneola (Western Kansas, near Dodge City), eating with a family whose family has owned a farm for a few generations now out by a natural spring that has been there... forever. That spring, this family had made into a crystal clear pond, and then built a house next to it. The pond stays full, and the spring still flows year round, just as it always has. From the East, there’s an old trail that you can still see coming down the hill that approaches the spring near the house. I looked up from the pond where the landowner was showing me around and saw that trail and I asked him, "What Road is that?" He said, "That’s the old ‘Fort Supply Trail,’ and it comes down to this spring and then heads off West." I realized in that moment, I was standing someplace where my Great-Great-Grandfather had once stood, and I wondered if in some ways, who I am and what I do, where I am and where I’m going, what I envision and who I hope to become, might be an answer to a prayer, the fruit of a relationship, the distant result of miles traveled in relationship with Jesus, by someone who traveled long before me...
Thank You Lord, for the ways you weave our lives together, and for all of the ways our pasts find their way into our future. Praise You, Oh Lord, for how You work all things together for the Good, and prayers that are prayed from times long before us, are forever before your face, as we walk in answers and blessings of which we have no real understanding. Thank You for Your Love, Mercy, Grace and Pursuit of us, even in spite of ourselves and our choices. Your Love for me is a mystery I am so very thankful for. Thank You Lord, for being Who You are to me and to all who long to trust You. In Jesus Name, Amen.
#50DayGenesisChallenge
#50DayGenesisChallengeDay26
