The Value of a Strong Headwind Week 2 Day 1 Genesis 12-15

A Brief Introduction:

My church, Centerville Presbyterian in Fremont, CA is going through a sermon series on The Story.  It's a 31 week study working through the all the books of the Bible that will cover most of It's central themes and The Story of God working in our lives.  I'd started blogging to a few friends when we did a study through the Psalms and found that it greatly enriched my time with God every day.  The friends I shared it with found it encouraging.  So I've decide to share these with a larger group.

If you find these encouraging or useful, that would be grand.  If they make you think about or consider your faith, that is perhaps more than I could hope for.  Mostly, I just want to say, "Thank You for letting me share."

P.S.  If you are the spelling or grammar police, then you will undoubtedly have a field day with my posts.   I'll do my best to proof read and fix the errors.  But frankly that's never been my strong suit and I've decided that I'd rather write more than write perfectly.  My goal is to share my thoughts, in grammar clear enough to be understood.  But I'm not aiming for perfection. At least there's one goal I know is achievable.  

And now, my first entry which is already one week into the study.  Took a while to figure out this blogging stuff.

Leonard

The Value of a Strong Headwind Week 2 Day 1 Genesis 12-15

I was out doing my bike ride early this morning and there was a strong constant headwind for the first 9 miles. Now bike riders generally don’t like headwinds.  You have to work harder battle against the wind.  You don’t go as fast.  It can make you feel cold, especially early in the morning.  And I definitely wouldn’t recommend that you spit into a headwind.

I’m training to do a charity bike ride, 40 miles one day and 75 miles the second.  To ride well I’ve got to get a certain number of miles in training each week.  So there I was, riding into the wind.

What the heck has that got to do with Abram and becoming a great nation?

As I read the chapters I got to thinking, why the heck did Abram and Sarai have to wait to so long for their son?   Why wait so long to see at least the beginnings of the fulfillment of God’s promise.  The promise where God said to Abram, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”?  Abram waited, and waited, and waited.

But while he waited he wasn’t standing around doing nothing.  He built an alter.  He took a trip down to Egypt and lied about his wife / sister.  At least that worked out.  He became wealthy and split paths with his nephew Lot.  He rescued Lot.  He defeated enemies in the area and learned about giving offerings through some dealings with King Melchizedek.  And because Abram trusted God it was “credited” as righteousness and God made a covenant with him.  But still no children.  Just more waiting.

But not just waiting.  There was also walking and living with God.  There was learning to trust God.  There was learning to listen to God.  There was learning how to have faith.  But yes, there was a fair amount of waiting.

That’s a whole lot like riding into a headwind.  When I’m riding into the wind I have to pedal harder to keep going.  I learn to bend down at the waist so the wind doesn’t have as much to push back against.  It’s still there, but I’m less affected.  And as I pedal harder, my legs get a little bit stronger.  With the effort my lungs and heart get just a bit stronger and I can keep going a little bit longer.  I don’t slow down quite as much.  And when the ride is done, I’m tired, my legs might be sore, but the next head wind won’t seem quite as strong.  And that which seemed like a curse is really a blessing because it’s made me a little bit better of a bike rider, a little bit stronger.

Working hard, or in Abram’s case, living hard was the stuff that built his faith.  Little by little he was learning to trust God.  And he was even learning how to be blessed by God.  That probably sounds kind of strange.  Why would you have to learn how to blessed?  Well, it’s easy to be given stuff.  It’s a lot harder to be given responsibility.  And remember, Abram was to be blessed to be a blessing.  All those blessings weren’t meant just for him, they weren’t even just meant of his somewhere in the future more numerous that the starts offspring.

Remember the promise God to Abram, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.”  And the promise from God ends with this, “and all the peoples of the earth well be blessed through you.”  Abram was learning to receive from God in a way that would enable him to not just receive, but also to give.  Blessed to be a blessing – to everyone.  And I guess that kind of faith just takes a fair amount of walking with God to learn.  Oh, and a fair amount of time.  Waiting.

God, I’ll confess that waiting isn’t my strong suit.  I like the shortcut.  I like the easy way.  I like, no I want it now.  But that’s not Your way.  And that’s not the way that faith works.  So God, help me to be faithful in the little so I can learn how to be faithful with more.  Help me to be thankful for the little so I can learn how to give.  Help to see the people around me that You’ve but in my path so that I can be a blessing the them just as You have so richly blessed me.  I guess I’ve always thought about waiting as doing nothing.  But with you God waiting isn’t nothing.  It’s walking with You, living in faith and seeing my faith grow a little bit stronger everyday.  Amen

Leonard