Short & Sweet: Ur or Or - Only By Prayer

1 Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country [Ur], from your family and from your father’s house, to a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.” Genesis 12:1

And God called Abram.

He was living the good life in the land of Ur — never dreaming of doing a re-lo. Ur wasn’t any little old city. It was the center of commercial trade and political power, home to the temple of the moon god, and the largest city of the province of Shinar. But, Ur wasn’t big enough for what God had planned for Abram. Life in Ur was good, but sometimes what’s good gets in the way of what’s better — the land of Canaan, the future home to the Temple of the One True God.

God called Abram and he had a choice to make: stay in Ur, or follow God to the land of Canaan.

Ur or Canaan.

Ur or Or.

God does that some times.

He breaks into our everyday lives and calls us to come deeper, dream bigger and walk closer with Him. Like Abram, we’d stay in our land of Ur if God didn’t offer us an Or. I didn’t even realize I was living in Ur until God called into my darkness. Leaving Ur can be difficult and at times you may be tempted to stay. Friends will tell you you’re crazy to leave. Your family may pitch a fit about pitching a tent in a new land. It’s easier to stay in Ur. It’s familiar. Comfortable. Safe. Nothing new under the sun.

The land of Ur is characterized by:

Living for self
Following the crowd
A false dependence on something besides God
Barrenness (think of Sarai).

The land of Or is a very different place, marked by:

Living for God
Following Jesus
Dependence on God
Fruitfulness

We have the same choice: Same old, same old or follow God. Safe or faith. Ur or Or.

Ur or Or?

What will we do?

Action Points:

You’re holding back on something right now. God wants you to live large, but you’re tempted to stay small. Name one thing you need to do right now to leave Ur and head to Or.
Read today’s verse again. Ask God to show you what you need to leave behind to follow Him.
Maybe you’re already living close to God. What do you need to improve upon to live even closer … prayer, Bible study, church attendance, or silence and solitude?
What are you depending on to give you peace, love, joy, security and purpose? If it’s anything other than God you need to shift your focus to Him.

Life is sweet.