Interruptions and Disruptions
Genesis 12:1-3
1. Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, your family, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
2. I will make of you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3. I will bless them who bless you and curse him who curses you, and in you all families of the earth will be blessed.”
Exodus 3:2-4
2 The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush, and he looked, and the bush burned with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.”
4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him from out of the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses.”
And he said, “Here am I.”.
I Samuel 16: 11-13
12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy with beautiful eyes and a good appearance.
And the Lord said, “Arise, anoint him, for this is he.”
13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord came on David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah.
Lessons Learned
There are times when God's calling totally disrupts one's belief system, family, friends, career, and dreams. There are times when you thought where you are is where you are supposed to be and that is interrupted by the reality that you were only supposed to occupy that space for a brief moment. It can be difficult to deal with such an event because of the faith required to shift one's entire life and leave the known and the comfortable to enter the unknown and the uncomfortable.
THINK ABOUT IT
1. Has your life been shifted by God before? If so, how did you know it was God?
2. What was the most difficult aspect of your life to change? How did you cope with the change?
3. What would be the most difficult aspect of your life to shift right now if God called for a shift in your life?
Promised Lands
Chapter 17
Introduction
The Bible contains a variety of stories that demonstrate how God takes those he engages from one level of living to another level. The most popular of these stories is God taking the Children of Israel from slavery to establishing their own nation in the Promised Land. God also took Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, and many others through similar experiences. Have you ever thought about the "Promised Land" God has in store for you?
It's the Journey, Not the Destination
Genesis 13:14-18
14 After Lot had departed from him, the Lord said to Abram, “Lift up now your eyes, and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward. 15 All the land that you see I will give to you and to your descendants forever. 16 I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth, so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants could also be numbered. 17 Arise, and walk throughout the land across its length and its width, for I will give it to you.”
18 So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built an altar to the Lord there.
Exodus 3:9-10
9 Now therefore, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me. Moreover, I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.
10 Come now therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh so that you may bring forth My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
I Samuel 16:14-21
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and an evil spirit from the Lord terrified him.
15 So the servants of Saul said to him, “See, an evil spirit from God troubles you. 16 Let our lord now tell your servants, who are before you, that they might seek out a man experienced in playing the lyre. And it will come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is on you, that he will play with his hand, and you will be well.”
17 Saul said to his servants, “Find me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me.”
18 Then one from the servants answered, and said, “I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is experienced in playing music, a mighty man of valor, a man of battle, and skillful in words, even a man of fine appearance. And the Lord is with him.”
19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse, and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” 20 Jesse took a donkey laden with bread, a bottle of wine, and a young goat and he sent them with his son David to Saul.
21 David came to Saul, and stood before him. And Saul loved him greatly and he became his armor bearer. 22 Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight.”
Lessons Learned
In each of these instances, God announces to these men that their lives are about to drastically change. Abraham is told by God to leave all he knows to follow a different path to a place he was already going. Moses was told to return to the kingdom that sought his execution to demand the deconstruction of an entire social and economic system. David was not only anointed king, but became an immediate threat to the power and legacy of King Saul. All of these men were placed in very uncomfortable situations to fulfill God's will. However, the end result was the kingdom of Israel and the coming of the Messiah.
1. Reading each of their stories, you have the luxury of seeing the result of their actions. However, while they were going through their trials they did not. They endured fear, heartache, loss, anger, betrayal, and a plethora of emotions. Based on what you know about their stories, did they handle situations any differently than you handle yours? Are there lessons you can derive from how they handled the most trying situations?
2. What qualities do you think these men had that caused God to choose them to do what He called them to do?
3. What qualities do you think you have that would cause God to choose you?
Where Are You Right Now?
Genesis 11:31-32
31 Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Harran, they settled there.
32 The days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Harran.
Exodus 3:1
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the desert and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb.
I Samuel 16:10-11
10 So Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Are these all your young men?”
And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is shepherding the flock.”
Then Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him, for we will not sit down until he comes here.”
Lessons Learned
Each of these men were at a point in their lives where they had seemingly accepted their situation or their station. Yet, God had much greater plans in store for each of them. Abraham was in the midst of fleeing from Ur with his family and was seeking a safe haven in the Land of Canaan from what was probably war and famine. Moses was a fugitive from Egypt who had begun a successful career with a new family. David was a young shepherd content with composing songs and watching his father's sheep. Each of them probably had no clue that their lives were about to change drastically.
THINK ABOUT IT
1. What do you believe to be the most stable aspect of your life right now?
2. Do you see yourself doing what you have been prepared to do, being prepared for something greater, or both?
3. Each of these men were in, what I call, a quiet period of their lives when there was no overt call from God. Do you feel a calling on your life right now or do you feel this to be a quiet period?