Anyone will feel flattered if the president of the most powerful nation calls him or her a friend. However, Abraham enjoyed such privilege with God. In Isaiah 41:8, God described Abraham as His friend! If you are looking for what made Abraham tick, you cannot but mention our meditation of yesterday. Simply, Abraham could hear God. He heard God when he was asked to leave his native country. He also heard God when He stopped him from slaying Isaac, the son of promise. Imagine if he could not hear God on that occasion! The innocent son would have been killed unnecessarily. In addition to hearing God was Abraham’s propensity for obedience. Hearing God is one thing; obeying Him is yet another. Our text of scripture recalls Abram’s response to God’s call to leave his native country. He obeyed at the age of 75. That must have been quite a task, judging from his age.
Abraham considered no price too much to pay for God. All the steps that he took while obeying were at a great cost. Leaving his familiar terrain for an unknown destination was costly. When he was 99 years of age, God commanded him to be circumcised in his foreskin. He obeyed the same day. Finally, when asked to sacrifice Isaac, he obeyed. Hearing and obeying God are still pivotal to walking with God. I recall how Larry Lea asked the late David Yonggi Cho about the secret of his success. Yonggi Cho replied in simple words: “I pray and I obey”. There is no shortcut to the blessing of God – we must hear and obey. After a long spell of hearing and obeying, God blessed Abraham greatly in all areas.