Written By Ben Dankaka
Meditation – Genesis 11:32
Do you know that Terah (Abraham’s father) had intended to live in Canaan? The journey to Canaan didn’t begin with Abraham. The scriptures say, “Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there” (Genesis 11:31). Instead of getting to his destination, Terah settled in Haran and died there. Although, he lived for 205 years, he couldn’t realize his dreams of getting to Canaan land. The Bible didn’t tell us why Terah couldn’t finish his journey. There’s no clear evidence that Terah changed his mind on getting to Canaan. However, he might have ended his journey in Haran for the reason that he changed his mind on Canaan or it could be that he became too comfortable with Haran.
Interestingly, Abraham didn’t make any move to live Haran until God called him. Possibly, after his father’s death, Abraham had decided to remain in Haran. Since, it wasn’t his idea to travel to Canaan; Abraham might have planned to remain in Haran. He might have reasoned that Canaan land wasn’t necessary because Haran was okay. Abraham might have decided to sustain his father’s legacy. Since his father ended his journey in Haran, Abraham might have thought it was right for him to follow his father’s footsteps. Initially, Abraham didn’t try to go beyond his father’s limits. But when God met him, everything changed. I don’t know what you are going through at the moment. Perhaps, like Abraham, you are trying to be like your father. I want you to know that God’s plan might be different from your father’s plans for you. Go beyond your father’s limits!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, May I not be limited by my father’s achievements. Amen.
REFERENCES/FURTHER STUDY: Genesis 11:27-32
Unless otherwise stated all scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version.