What if God showed up? What would we do? I sometimes hear people say, "I have some questions I would like to ask God if he would answer me." Job, likely a contemporary of Abram, said the same thing. But when God showed up, when he had his big chance, he sounded more like, "No further questions, your Honor" (Job 42:5-6).
Abram fell facedown. Remember this is not the first time that God has spoken to Abram. But years have passed. Ishmael is a teenager. Teenagers make you want to pray! Then unexpectedly God showed up. Abram fell on his face. The usurpers at the Tower of Babel thought they might make a name for themselves. But not Abram. Like Isaiah who saw God in the temple, high and lifted up, all Abram could manage was to fall prostrate, undone by the awesome presence of God.
God renewed his covenant with Abram. He changed Abraham's name to "father of many nations." Then God promised to make him fruitful and his descendants royal. This covenant extended generations into the future. God would give Abram and his descendants the land of Canaan. Best of all, in a world of impostor and pretender deities, God would be their God.
We are part of that covenant, through Christ. Father Abraham had many sons and daughters. I am one of them and so are you, by faith in Christ. Our God still speaks. Are we listening? His presence should humble us. Face down, on the ground, we can hear God clearly. God works all things together for good for those who love him and heed his call. Is that you? Is that I? What if we prayed on our faces today?
