Settling for Less Than Canaan

Genesis 11:31

Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there.

In this passage we find Abraham travelling with his father and their extended family.  Most writers seem to believe that Terah was moving his family based on the calling on Abraham’s life.  In obedience to the calling of Almighty God, they have left Ur of the Chaldeans and are travelling to the land of Canaan. But for some unexplained reason, they do not complete the journey to Canaan.  They end their journey half way to Canaan.  They remain in Haran until Terah’s death.

There are two lessons that can be taken away from this passage.  The first has to do with falling short of Canaan.  How often do we miss out on what God has set aside for us because we quit before we reached His intended favor for us?  We must be careful not to rely on our own thoughts and ways and settle for less than what God has planned for us because what we have achieved is pleasing to us and seems good in our own eyes.

The second lesson from this passage teaches us that we can get up and go again even if we have given up or quit on something that God has set aside for us.  Just as Abraham continued on to Canaan after the death of His father, we can continue on to the calling that God has given us after we have settled for something less.  Our Father in Heaven will provide a reward for us that will be much greater than what we may have settled for.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for creating each of us to fulfill a special calling.  We rejoice in knowing that You will stand by us even when we falter on our journey.  We exalt Your name for providing Your Holy Spirit to lift us back up when we weaken, to redirect us when we go off course and to inspire us to go further when we settle for less than Your plan for us.  We pray that we will settle for nothing less than our own Canaan.  We ask all these things in the name of the One who provides our future and our hope, Jesus Christ.