Short Thought continued.....
The Halting Place
‘Abram travelled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh.
At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.
Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “I will give this land to your descendants.”
And Abram built an altar there and dedicated it to the Lord, who had appeared to him.’
(Genesis 12:6-7 NLT)
God instructs Abram to depart from the city taking his wife, nephew and
all his wealth - his livestock and people whom he’d taken into his household.
Abram heads for the land of Canaan, travels through Shechem and
comes to the Oak of Moreh where he sets up camp.
The Oak of Moreh is a plain. It was the first ‘halting-place’ for Abram on arriving in Canaan.
It is here that God appears, God speaks and God gives Abram His covenant promise.
It is also here that Abram builds his first altar, dedicating it to The Lord.
There is purpose in this ‘halting-place’:
It is a place for God to appear and speak, and a place to altar-build.
As we travel through life we have need for ‘halting-places’ along the way, places where we:
set up camp for a while, be with God, let Him appear and speak to us, and where we build altars.
As we come to a ‘halting-place’ there is still a need to carry on with daily life; just as Abram
cared for his family, livestock and people, we will also need to carry on with daily life.
But in a halting place we change rhythm, pace and purpose to become more
aware of and attuned to God; we halt to look, watch and listen:
What is He showing me?
How is He speaking to me?
What altar needs building?
As we come to dwell in this place we rest by faith in the faith of God;
we rest in who we know God to be.
We have expectancy and hold hope that He will appear.
We listen for and to His instruction and guidance.
He ‘sets us up’ for what is ahead.
And when the time is right He instructs us in the way to go, just as He instructed Abram:
‘After that, Abram travelled south and set up camp in the hill country, with Bethel to the west and
Ai to the east. There he built another altar and dedicated it to the Lord, and he worshipped the Lord.
Then Abram continued travelling south by stages toward the Negev.’
(Genesis 12:8-9 NLT)
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