Part 2 - The Journey of the Pilgrim: Abraham
Go back to Part 1 to get the full gist! 👀 We’re continuing our journey through the life of Abraham—the great pilgrim. 🔥
THEN GOD SAYS: WALK BEFORE ME
I find what happens next fascinating.
Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born (Genesis 16:16).
Genesis 17 opens when Abraham is 99.
Approximately thirteen years have passed.
And when God appears again to establish and expand the covenant, listen to His opening words:
“I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.” — Genesis 17:1
God is now giving Abraham a command for how he is to live before Him—the standard God requires:
“Walk before Me and be blameless.” — Genesis 17:1
I can’t help but see this as significant after the Hagar situation.
Abraham needed to understand that promise and character cannot be separated.
God wasn’t only interested in where Abraham was going.
God was interested in who Abraham was becoming.
Then God expands the covenant.
Abram becomes Abraham.
He will become the father of many nations.
Kings will come from him.
His descendants will inherit the land.
And then God adds something even greater:
“I will be their God.” — Genesis 17:8
The promise wasn’t ultimately just about land.
It wasn’t just about children.
It wasn’t just about nations.
God Himself was part of the inheritance.
Then God gives Abraham a covenant sign—circumcision—something Abraham and his descendants were responsible for obeying.
Covenant wasn’t merely something Abraham received.
It demanded a response.
BUT WAIT…
This part makes me laugh because look at God’s order.
God talks about generations. Nations. Kings. Land. Covenant. Future descendants.
And only now does He become extremely specific about the immediate problem sitting in Abraham’s house.
Sarah is going to have the child. 😂
God was talking generations (BIG PICTURE) while Abraham was probably thinking:
Okay…but HOW are we getting a baby?!
That’s so like God.
We obsess over the immediate. God speaks from the future.
Finally , God gives Abraham the detail he has been missing (6 chapters later lol) :
Isaac.
Think about how wild this is.
For years Abraham knew WHAT God had promised.
But he didn’t know HOW God was going to accomplish it.
Abraham knew the what before he knew the how.
And maybe that’s where he went wrong with Hagar.
He received the what and tried to manufacture the how.
Somebody needs to hear that.
Don’t turn God’s silence about the HOW into permission to create your own method.
God may tell you what He’s going to do while intentionally withholding how He’s going to do it.
THEN GOD GIVES HIM A DATE
By Genesis 18, the revelation gets even more specific.
It isn’t just: You’re going to have descendants.
Then: Sarah will have the child.
Then: His name will be Isaac.
Now it becomes:
“I will return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” — Genesis 18:10
Essentially: This time next year.
Can you see the progression?
God didn’t download Abraham’s entire life in Genesis 12.
He revealed it progressively.
Genesis 12: Go. I’ll show you.
Genesis 13: Look. This land belongs to your descendants.
Genesis 15: Your descendants will be countless. Here’s what will happen to them generations from now. I establish My covenant with you.
Genesis 17: Your name is Abraham. Sarah is part of this promise. Isaac is the covenant son. This is how you are to walk before Me.
Genesis 18: Now here’s the timing.
Every stage brought greater clarity.
And between those revelations?
Abraham had to walk.
GOD REVEALS PURPOSE THROUGH RELATIONSHIP
This may be one of my biggest takeaways from Abraham’s formative years:
God doesn’t always reveal everything about our lives immediately.
Sometimes we want the Genesis 18 details while we’re still standing in Genesis 12.
Who?
When?
Where?
How?
What date?
Can I get a PDF, Lord? Maybe a calendar invite? 😂
Meanwhile God says: GO.
Because the next revelation may be waiting on the other side of today’s obedience.
Abraham’s relationship with God became progressively deeper, and the revelation became progressively clearer.
God started broad and became specific.
That’s how relationships work.
You don’t meet someone today and immediately know every intimate detail about them.
Relationship unfolds through time, trust, communication and intimacy.
Abraham’s journey shows us that purpose can work the same way.
God may show you enough for your next step, not enough for your entire journey.
And sometimes that’s intentional.
Because if He gave us the entire map, we might fall in love with the destination and never learn to walk with the One leading us there.
THE PILGRIM WAS BEING FORMED
Abraham’s journey wasn’t only about reaching Canaan.
Every instruction taught obedience.
Every delay developed faith.
Every encounter revealed another dimension of God.
Every mistake exposed something Abraham still needed to learn.
Every act of obedience positioned him for greater revelation.
He started as a man who heard: “Go.”
And he became a man Scripture would remember as the father of faith.
That transformation happened on the road.
So maybe you’re in a season where God has spoken, but you don’t have all the details.
You know the what, but not the how.
You have promise, but no timeline.
Welcome to the pilgrim’s journey.
Keep walking. Keep obeying. Keep believing. Keep knowing God.
Sometimes God doesn’t reveal the whole map because the greatest revelation on the journey isn’t where you’re going—it’s discovering who He is while you’re getting there.
🎶 Music Time
NEW SEASON — NO IFZ NO BUTZ X ZAA MUSIC FT. RENZO BA 🔥
That second verse is my favorite 😭🔥
“Mummy upset I’m not eating again, 9 days in and she’s questioning again… Mummy, just seeking Him again. Denying my flesh keeps me good to the end.”
Yeahhhh 🔥
Highly recommend watching this podcast! It’s such a powerful and insightful conversation. 🙌🏾🔥
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