So Abram departed as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him. – Genesis 12: 4

God commanded Abraham to leave Ur, and he left. This may not seem so remarkable until it is acknowledged exactly what he was commanded to leave. He was commanded to leave his country. He was commanded to leave his kinfolk. He was commanded to leave his comfort zone. And without the slightest hint of hesitation, he decided to do it as soon as the Lord commanded it. This move seems almost mindless. It is a response that borders on the robotic. Yet, Abraham was commanded to leave, and he left.

What could it have been that enabled him to do what he did with the apparent ease that he did?

1. He considered who had commanded him. This trip he was about to take was no knee jerk reaction to a hurt feeling or a cross word. It was not even the result of having been wronged. He left because the Lord said so. We must learn an important lesson from this. We should never leave a person, place or thing one minute before the Lord says go. Then, once we are sure that it is Him talking, we should never stay a minute longer after He says go.

2. He considered what he was carrying with him. Even though Abraham was leaving a great deal, he did not leave empty handed. He had his wife, his nephew Lot, his servants and many valuable possessions. Often, when we are commanded to leave, we fail to give full weight to what we don’t have to leave behind and can carry with us. We may leave a job, but we can still carry the job skills. We may leave a house, but we still know how to make a home. We may leave a relationship, but we still know what love is and ought to be.

3. He considered who was going with him. God commanded Abraham to leave, but He also committed to go with Abraham. Therefore, no matter where or what he was commanded to leave, he knew that he would never be able to leave the presence, protection and power of God. The God that sent him was also going with him. Understanding this makes it much easier to leave.

4. He considered what was waiting for him. What we leave may be wonderful, but the place we are promised by God is incredible and unimaginable. Tears shed when we have to trade in old Betsy stop flowing when the car dealer approves our loan for a new Bentley. Holding on to where we have been can become a hindrance to arriving at the place we are destined to be.