Abrahamic Faith
“Covenant” feels like one of those churchy words we should probably all know. In fact, it’s just after “atonement” and right before “eschatology” on the vocabulary quiz they give you after a membership class. Covenant = Promise. Nailed it! However, how many of us actually dwell in a space–physically, mentally, spiritually–that shows the covenant relationship we have with God?
The Old Testament details several covenants that God made with His people; all of which were eventually superseded by the New Covenant. Although God’s covenants have evolved into one written on our hearts through Jesus, it was His first covenant with Abraham that established the foundations of our faith and shows us the essence of our spirituality. Although he wasn’t perfect, God credited him as righteous (Genesis 15:6) and there is a lot about Abraham’s relationship with God that we should all strive for as believers. He truly lived in the fullness of God’s promises, just as we should.
Abraham’s trust in God was something to marvel at. For starters, he waited a lifetime for an heir with his wife Sarah. Literally. Yet, when God called him to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham obediently marched up a mountain and prepared to offer him up (Genesis 22). Nothing on earth could have been more important to Abraham than his only son, but he never questioned God’s request for a second. He faithfully clung to God’s promises as he prepared to do the unimaginable. Time, wealth, material things…we should be willing to sacrifice all of it if God calls us to do so and trust that His plan for us is greater than anything else we might be holding on to. There is nothing in this world that could possibly compare to what God has promised us in Heaven.
Abraham also faithfully followed God on many journeys throughout his life. One of his most significant trips is detailed in Genesis Chapter 12, when God sends Abraham from Harran down to Canaan. Although this trip would have been long and arduous, Abraham not only obediently went where he was told, but he also honored God by building an altar upon his arrival in Canaan (Genesis 12:7). Our Heavenly Father has a variety of paths for all of us in life. While some are more challenging than others, we should be faithfully obeying and honoring God along the way. For example, God calls us to gather in Hebrews 10:25 and some of us struggle just to consistently drive the fifteen minutes to church every Sunday. How must we be handling the much longer journeys? Some journeys span years and even lifetimes, like raising a family and developing a career. Are we grumbling along those paths God sends us on? And how much are we remembering to honor Him as we navigate those paths? Even through difficult, lengthy journeys, we should be living off the hope of God’s promises.
Although he was a sinner just like the rest of us, many aspects of Abraham’s life should stand as examples for us, particularly his trust and obedience to God. The New Covenant is written on our hearts, but that doesn’t make every thing that preceded it irrelevant to our lives. Not only should we be working to better understand God’s covenants, the individuals that God chose to make those covenants with should serve as examples of faith in our lives. It is when we model our faith after theirs that we are truly living in the glory of God’s promises.
Catherine (Cat) Garner was born in Long Beach, California and moved to Nevada when she was 10. She grew up in the Las Vegas community, then earned her BA in English and Political Science from the University of Nevada, Reno and her teaching credential from UNLV. She is a National Board Certified Teacher who has taught, coached, mentored, #allthethings in public schools for over a decade. She also walks in a variety of school-related roles outside the classroom such as writing curriculum and teaching professional development classes. Her husband, Ryan, is a CPA and they have one son, Jack, and a fur-daughter, Emma. She loves worship music, shoes, a good book, Precepts Bible studies, soccer, making silly TikToks, Sally Clarkson, house plants, and yoga.
