Read His Words Before Ours!
Genesis 11:26-32
Genesis 12:1-5
Matthew 1:17
Hebrews 11:8-12
Galatians 3:6-9 
Our culture is rich with worship.
We are always bowing down to this, praying for that, and practicing rituals for everything under the sun.
Our lives center around this worship.
We carve our idols from wood and stone. They live in our houses, at our tables, by our beds. Their eyes are always watching as we constantly weigh what we’ve done compared to what we need to do. How we worship dictates what we might receive whether it’s a new baby, more rain, or better crops.
But something is rustling inside of me lately. Maybe I’ve always wrestled with it.
What if there is more?
What if all this worship is just like the sand being blown and tossed around me, uncontrolled by anything I do?
That small voice is getting louder, annoyingly so.
It’s pressing in on me and making me wonder.
Is there more?
The gods don’t seem to listen. They didn’t stop my brother’s death.
Haran was a good man. He died so young and left his son and wife alone.
Haran breathed his last right there in front of my father, Terah.
My mother’s sacrifices did nothing to stop it.
My father’s either, nor my other brother’s, Nahor.
Haran simply died despite it all. Senselessly.
And now Lot, his son, is alone. I love Lot and would do anything for him, but I fear I can’t be of much help to him because I feel just as alone as he is and perhaps even more lost.
All of this worship, but none of it means anything. It’s like chasing after the wind.
Again, the gods refuse to see us. No amount of sacrifices, chants, or ritualistic dances have brought us a son. My beloved wife mourns the emptiness of her womb and her loneliness increases my own. I love her so deeply, even more than 10 sons, but it seems of no consequence to Sarai.
What idol shall I make with my hands to comfort my heart?
My father has moved our family towards Canaan after Haran’s death, perhaps attempting to quell our grief. Yet neither his optimism, nor his passion for worship, nor his wealth has filled up my emptiness, quenched my sadness, or deafened this insistent voice inside me that begs for more.
Just when my brokenness seemed more than I could bear, when the barrenness of my soul surpassed even the barrenness of my wife’s womb, I heard HIM! A voice that rolled like the thunder we pray for during drought, but promising so much more.
Just His presence was filling enough to last a lifetime, but there was more.
He spoke.
To me!
I, Abram, I am nothing.
A broken man, empty with nothing to offer, yet He chose to unleash His voice to my ear!
He called me out to a new land, a new promise, and a new life.
He said I would be the father of a great nation.
Can you imagine? A Father?! Wait until I tell Sarai!
I have been so empty and this Almighty has given me purpose and a hope,
fulfilling the depths of my ache with Himself.
We leave the tents and lands of my father tomorrow to travel on to Canaan and to behold all that the LORD has spoken of to me.
I’m terrified, but breathless.
I cannot fathom all that awaits us, but somehow, in the place where my restless heart once quaked, peace now reigns.
To get life from emptiness,
wholeness from brokenness,
and joy from angst,
I cannot help but give everything I have to this Almighty, the One True God, the only One worthy of my worship.
A man changed forever,
Abram
The story of Abram was just beginning, even though he was already 75 years old. God did indeed have so much more for him. Along the way, Abram’s heart would break several times and his faith would be rocked again and again. Yet each time he would learn more of the faithfulness of his God. God would give Abram an inheritance that stretched far beyond anything he could have dreamt possible. See, God used Abram to pave the road for His plan of redemption that would eventually point everyone to Himself. It was a plan not based on works, or chants, or rituals, or measurements of good, but it was a plan granted solely upon the fact that God would call people to Himself through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Abram’s beginnings point to our own as we see our pitiful helplessness without the Almighty. God probably doesn’t speak to your ear with a voice like thunder, but His calling on your life is much like it was for Abram; He’s calling you to so much more.
Will you follow Him?
Abram’s story:
Genesis 12-26
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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!
Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched Week Two!
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Looking for other journeys from this theme? Here’s a link to all past studies
in Sketched!