I love Abraham because he is clearly a man of implicit faith and trust in God. He is given the highest accolade of being called “God’s friend”(James 2:23), a depiction that marks him out as someone special. However, I love him also because he is an example of all who like him, believe and trust in God’s promises, regardless of whether we can satisfactorily explain them, make sense of them, or prove their worth to others.
In the book, “Abraham: Following God’s Promise” the authors draw attention to the fact that “Although the Bible often depicts Abraham as an exalted figure, his journey of faith resembles our own. Along with the glory of his victories, the Bible fully describes the scandalous details of his failures. It does not hide Abraham’s shortcomings; instead, it recounts these examples of failure so that we might have hope. In Abraham, we observe someone uniquely chosen to receive a grand promise: that he would become the father of a great nation and a channel of blessing to the world. Abraham embraced this promise, but it was 25 years before he saw it realized. As he waited on God, he battled fear, anxiety, and doubt. In Abraham, we see a reflection of ourselves….. Abraham’s story isn’t that different from ours. It’s about responding to God’s call, journeying with Him through life, facing challenges, and growing as a result of them. Fundamentally, it’s about the change that occurs because of redemption…..Portraits of faithful living look different depending upon the character. The same principle is true in our walks with God today. He uses our unique personalities and experiences to forge us into the people He wants us to be. But His role in the process is always the same: He who began a good work in us will complete it (Phil 1:6). As we persistently pursue God in our daily lives, we can be confident that He is perfectly and persistently accomplishing His plan for the redemption of the world.” 1
Abraham is rightly called the "father of the faithful"(Romans 4:11,12). I, for one am so thankful for such a wonderfully encouraging example of a faith-filled life. However, I am not merely to admire his life from a distance, but also imitate his life; by "responding to God’s call, journeying with Him through life, facing challenges, and growing as a result of them." In this way, Abraham, this friend of God, is my friend precisely because, like me, he knows his successes and failure; his strengths and his weaknesses; his triumphs and his tragedies; his faith and his fear; his defeats and his victories and yet through it all, He persevered and left me an example, to follow in his steps.
Notes:
1. “Abraham: Following God’s Promise” by Miles Custis; Michael R. Grigoni; Douglas Mangum and Matthew M. Whitehead. http://www.logos.com/product/20466/abraham-following-gods-promise