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The next part of this study of the life and faith of Abraham is his calling. If you can put your imagination hats on and just imagine the day the Lord called Abram. Maybe he was bowing before a foreign god? Maybe he was sleeping? Whatever he was doing, the Lord appeared to him and told Abraham that he was going to have a great nation, many descendants, and protection throughout the years-as long as he packed up all of his belongings and go to a foreign land. These promises not only affected him, but also the generations after him. These promises are still in effect today with the nation of Israel. He also had to leave his family behind. The God of the Universe asked this man who didn't even know Him to basically leave his entire life behind all for more wealth and many descendants. Once again, imagine. Imagine what this means for Abraham. He was probably freaked out of his mind. He was hearing this voice out of nowhere telling him to pack up and leave with no destination. This is the part where faith comes in. This is the part where Abram has to decide who he is going to serve-his father's gods or the One true God. Abram did what no other person would have done in his place. He packed up his belongings and hit the road of belief. However, he took with him his father, Terah, and his nephew, Lot. These men would later be a stumbling block for him. .
Let's talk about the circumstances of Abram's calling. First, he was a pagan. One can only imagine why the Lord chose him. It has been said that Abram had already been calling on the Lord or already acknowledging His existence. However, this doesn't sound very reasonable because of the fact that the idolatry of the day was the only thing the people knew. He was also 75 years old with no child. His wife, Sarai, was 65 years old. She was obviously past the age of child-bearing. Another major part of his calling had to do with the promises. There were three promises that would affect Abram personally, the nation of Israel, and the nations of the world in general.
