Many of us are familiar with God’s call to Abraham when the Lord promised to bless him and make a great nation from his descendants.  God told Abram (as he was known at the time), “Get out of your country … to a land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1, NKJV). So, Abram left the land of Haran, where he had been living, and headed for the land of Canaan. When Abram arrived in Canaan, God promised him, “To your descendents, I will give this land” (Genesis 12:7).  That land would be the promised land that would eventually become the nation of Israel.  

What’s interesting about this account is that this was not the first time Abram had set out to go to Canaan. The previous chapter tells us that Abram’s father, Terah, had taken Abram and his family on a journey from their native land in Ur of the Chaldeans to the land of Canaan.  But for some reason, they never made it to Canaan.  They came as far as Haran but stopped there, making that land their home until Abram’s father died.  After Terah’s death, Abram responded to God’s call to leave the land, and Abram headed toward Canaan again.  

The Bible doesn’t elaborate on why Terah and Abram were initially going to Canaan or why they stopped at Haran.  But I think it’s significant that God called Abram to keep going. And I can see parallels in our own walk of faith today.

Have you ever started out with a goal in mind, only to stop somewhere along the way and settle there?  Even if you’ve stopped short of fulfilling the vision God placed in your heart, know that the vision is still alive!  “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29). God is calling you today to pick up where you left off and keep going!

Or maybe you haven’t stopped along the way, but let this message encourage you to never stop! God has called you with purpose and placed you in this generation for such a time as this! For your benefit and the benefit of many others, stay on track with the vision God has given you!  Use your gifts fully for Him!  I encourage you as Paul encouraged Timothy: “Do not neglect your gift … Be diligent in these matters; give yourself entirely to them, so that everyone may see your progress” (1 Timothy 4:14-15, NIV).  

Think about these familiar words from Scripture: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV).  We love these promises, but we can really appreciate them when we understand their original context.  These words were part of a letter sent by the prophet Jeremiah to Jewish exiles who had been taken as captives by the Babylonians. Though they were displaced in captivity, God’s purpose for them stayed true and His plans would prevail!  They still had hope and a good future!  

The King James Version of that scripture calls God’s promise “an expected end.” Know that whatever you’re going through today or wherever you find yourself in your walk of faith, God has an “expected end” for you that’s good!  God had an expected end for Abraham, an expected end for Israel, and He has an expected end for you!  Yes, He has a promised land for you to enter, so keep going and don’t ever stop!