In you, O Lord, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame; in your righteousness deliver me. Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily. Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me. [1]
Knowing the eternal and almighty God
Genesis 12:1-3 NRSV
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown
It pleased God, who has often been found of them who sought Him not, to reveal Himself to Abraham perhaps by a miracle; and the conversion of Abraham is one of the most remarkable in Bible history. His being brought to the knowledge and worship of the true God had probably been a considerable time before. This call included two promises: the first, showing the land of his future posterity; and the second, that in his posterity all the earth was to be blessed (Genesis 12:2). Abraham obeyed, and it is frequently mentioned in the New Testament as a striking instance of his faith (Hebrews 11:8).[2]
Victor Hamilton
God’s first word to Abram is an imperative: leave! The three things he is to leave behind are arranged in ascending order: country, people, father’s household. The imperative is followed by a series of promises relating to progeny, reputation, and blessing. The climax of the divine “I wills” is that all peoples on earth will be blessed through Abram. Abram is to be not only a recipient of the blessing, but also a channel through which this blessing may flow to others. This all happens when Abram is seventy-five years old. God gets involved for the first time in the life of this septuagenarian.[3]
O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.[4]
TO BE A CHRISTIAN Anglican Catechism[5]
Question #156
How can you have fellowship with God?
Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, and union with him by the Holy Spirit, I have fellowship with God as his adopted child. I experience this in prayer, worship, God’s Word, the sacraments, and Christian community, as I daily follow him by faith.
O God, whose Son Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd of your people: Grant that, when we hear his voice, we may know him who calls us each by name, and follow where he leads; who, with you and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns, one God, forever and ever. Amen.[6]
I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say
My times are in your hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and persecutors. Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love. [7]
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Ps 31:1–2.
[2] Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 1 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 24.
[3] Victor P. Hamilton, “Genesis,” in Evangelical Commentary on the Bible, vol. 3, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1995), 19.
[4] Fifth century collect, Anglican Book of Common Prayer, 2019.
[5] TO BE A CHRISTIAN: AN ANGLICAN CATECHISM Copyright © 2020 by The Anglican Church in North America
[6] Collect for the fourth Sunday of Easter, Anglican Book of Common Prayer, 2019.
[7] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), Ps 31:15–16.
