A modern example comes from the Smallbone family, who left Australia for America in the early ’90s in a step of radical, faith-filled obedience. Through hardship and uncertainty, they stayed the course. The fruit of their faith? Christian artists like Rebecca St. James and For King & Country are powerful witnesses to God’s provision.
Genesis 12 begins with a similar story of radical calling. God tells Abram to leave everything familiar—his home, his family, his security—and go to a land he’s never seen. In that command, we discover a core truth: God calls His people to trust Him and uses their obedience to accomplish His redemptive plan.
This calling still echoes today. Through both blessing and testing, God is shaping a people who reflect His heart, walk by faith, and carry the hope of the gospel to the ends of the earth.
1. Answer the Call of God (Genesis 12:1-9)
God doesn’t call the qualified; He qualifies the called. In Genesis 12, God initiates a world-changing covenant with Abram, a man from a pagan background and a barren household. This wasn’t about Abraham’s resume but God’s redemptive purpose.
The call was costly: “Leave your country, your people, and your father’s household… to a land I will show you.” Abraham obeyed without knowing where he was going, trusting the God who did. His life became a testimony that faith means following, even when the path is unknown (Heb. 11:8).
God’s call included a promise—not just for Abraham, but for the world. “I will bless you… and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” This blessing points directly to Jesus (Gal. 3:8, 16). Abraham’s obedience became the first step in God’s plan to redeem all people through Christ.
But Abraham’s obedience wasn’t perfect. He brought Lot, though God said to leave his family. Partial obedience has consequences, and Lot’s presence would create future strife. The lesson? When God speaks, obey fully—not halfway.
Abraham built altars and called on God’s name. He moved with worship and faith. That same call continues today. Every believer is called into God’s mission: to declare His glory and display His character.
The call may interrupt comfort, but it comes with divine purpose. Don’t wait for all the details. Trust the One who holds the map.
2. Trust the Lord Even When Trials Come (Genesis 12:10-20)
Obedience doesn’t remove adversity—it often invites it. Right after Abraham stepped out in faith, a famine hit. Instead of trusting God, he panicked and fled to Egypt. There, fear led him to lie about his wife. That decision nearly wrecked everything.
Abraham’s failure didn’t cancel God’s promise, but it showed the danger of reacting in fear rather than responding in faith. He repeated the same sin in Genesis 20. Twice, fear overtook trust, and twice, God intervened in grace.
The pattern: Call → Test → Failure → Grace. God didn’t abandon Abraham—He protected Sarah and preserved the mission. But Abraham’s actions serve as a warning. Half-truths and compromise always bring collateral damage.
Believers today face similar tests. When following God gets hard, the temptation is to “go down to Egypt”—to retreat into comfort, self-preservation, or compromise. But trials are not setbacks—they’re setups for spiritual maturity and gospel witness (James 1:2-4).
God calls His people to live on mission—in homes, schools, offices, and across oceans. Expect opposition. It’s not “if” but “when.” Look to Scripture: the apostles in Acts faced beatings, riots, prison, and death—yet the gospel spread like wildfire.
Jesus Himself faced opposition to death, and so will His followers. But every trial is a platform to glorify Him.
Like Abraham, believers today must burn the boats. There is no turning back. Faith answers the call and endures the trial. As the Smallbone family once declared, “It will be hard, and we’re not going back.”
Conclusion
Abraham’s story reminds us that following God is a lifelong journey of faith, not perfection. He obeyed God’s call, but when trials came, he stumbled. And yet, through it all, God remained faithful. The mission continued. Grace prevailed.
You and I are called into the same redemptive story. Like Abraham, we have no idea what tomorrow holds, but we know the One who holds tomorrow. His call still comes: “Go… to the land I will show you.” That might be across the world or on the street. The response He desires is faith, not flawless execution.
And just like Abraham, we will face hardship. Obedience is often followed by testing. When that happens, remember this: opposition isn’t proof of failure—it’s confirmation that you’re on the right path. The enemy attacks what threatens his kingdom.
So, burn the boats. No retreat. No half-obedience. No compromise.
Whether you are a student, a parent, a teacher, or a missionary, the calling is the same: Declare God’s glory. Display his character. Live on mission.
And when you fail, as we all will, run back to the grace of God that restores and recommissions.
God doesn’t need us to be perfect. He calls us to be faithful. So today, answer the call, stay the course, and trust through the trial.
And let your life become a blessing to the nations.
