nomad

 
 

From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord.

Genesis 12:8

I wonder what this faith was like for Abram. He was a childless nomad, wandering a land that God said would one day swarm with his descendents. It had to feel like a crazy life. He lived in tents, he tended his flocks with his servants, he looked out at the night sky vividly filled with stars as the reminders from God of his promised future. He had his small household, as yet no children, and the promise of God filling the night sky looking right back down on him every night every where he went. God told Abram that his descendents would be numerous like the stars of the heavens. And he at that time was an old man with an old wife and no kids. It seemed ludicrous to believe that promise, let alone worship God in his infertility. Yet he had faith, because he built an altar and prayed to God at every campsite. Old Abram awaited that outrageous promise's fulfillment.

Sometimes I think of Abraham
How one star he saw had been lit for me
He was a stranger in this land
And I am that, no less than he
And on this road to righteousness
Sometimes the climb can be so steep
I may falter in my steps
But never beyond Your reach

Rich Mullins - Sometimes By Step Lyrics 

Every step on this journey of life is a chance to trust the promise of God. In between Bethel and Ai, I can have my heart's altar built, and I can call upon the name of the LORD. My life is a journey without tents, but a journey still the same. I am a nomad waiting for God's greatness to be fulfilled in His promises. And like Abram, I will pray... and trust... and wander forward.