A GOD ON THE MOVE

1And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”

2And Stephen said: “Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran,

3and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’

4Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living.

5Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child.

6And God spoke to this effect — that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years.

7‘But I will judge the nation that they serve,’ said God, ‘and after that they shall come out and worship me in this place.’

8And he gave him the covenant of circumcision. And so Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him on the eighth day, and Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.

1. 1.Where was Abraham when God first appeared to him? Why would this detail be important to those devoted to the temple?
2. 2.What did God ask Abraham to leave behind? What has following God cost you, or what might it cost you now?

Remember your first night in a new place? A boarding house in the city for college, a new job on another island, a rented room where nothing was yours yet. The walls are bare. The boxes are half-unpacked. You lie awake wondering, "Did I make the right decision?"

Stephen begins his defense with a man who lived with that feeling for most of his life. When the high priest asks, "Are these things so?" (verse 1), Stephen tells a story. And the story begins: "The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia" (verse 2).

Mesopotamia. Not Jerusalem. Not the temple. A land full of idols, far from everything the council held sacred. Before there was a nation, a city, or a building, God was already showing up and calling people to follow him.

God told Abraham, "Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you" (verse 3) and Abraham went. But look at verse 5: God "gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot's length."

The man who received the promise of the land never owned a single square of it. And he had no child to inherit it either. But God’s promise was enough.

Maybe you're in a "foot's length" season right now. Waiting. Seeking. Praying for something God has not yet given. It's easy to think God will feel closer once everything is settled. But Abraham's story says something better: God walks closely with those who follow him by faith before they can see the finish line.

The God of glory doesn't wait for you to arrive at the right place. He meets you on the road.

Reflection: What is one promise of God you are holding on that you do not yet see? Thank him today for being with you in the waiting.

God of glory, thank you for meeting Abraham far from home, and for meeting me wherever I am today. Teach me to live on your promises even when I can't yet see them fulfilled. Give me the faith to follow you before I know the whole road. In Jesus' name, Amen.